Experts

Olivier Bargain

Olivier is professor of economics at Bordeaux University, former member of the Council of Economic Advisor to the French PM. He is an expert on social and fiscal policies (and their impact on inequality, poverty and labor market behavior), intra-household inequality and well-being measurement. He has founded WAP in 2020. He plays guitar … and still hasn’t chosen between Knopfler and Clapton.

Florence Jusot

Florence is professor in health economics at Dauphine University in Paris, and researcher at LEDA-LEGOS and IRDES. She is the country team leader of the SHARE surveys for France, and has recently served on the ‘COVID’ national scientific committee to the French government. She is an expert on health policies, access to health services, inequality (of income, health and opportunities), well-being and the elderly. One of the most social members of WAP! 

Alpaslan Akay

Alpaslan (aka “Aslan”) is an associate professor of Economics at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and an IZA research fellow. He is an expert in behavioral economics and econometrics, with a focus on subjective well-being and the individual impact of global phenomena (migration, climate shocks, terrorism, etc.). He also paints, draws and cultivates the spirit of Pink Floyd.

Marc Fleurbaey

Marc Fleurbaey is a French researcher specialized in normative economics and social choice theory. He is research director at CNRS and the Paris School of Economics, and was previously professor of Economics at Princeton University.

Sandy Tubeuf

Sandy is professor in health economics at the Institute in Health and Society (IRSS) and Institute of Economic and Social Research (IRES) at the Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, as well as honorary visiting professor at the University of Leeds, UK. She is an expert on health economics, health policies and labor markets, with an interest for the measurement of inequalities and inequalities of opportunities. She is also a keen baker and cook who won the 2011 York Food Festival Masterchef competition!

Maira Colacce

Maira is a researcher at IECON, the Instituto de Economía of Universidad de la República, in Montevideo, Uruguay. She previously worked as a consultant at the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and is currently a PhD candidate at Bordeaux University. She is an expert on labor market, childcare and social policies, gender, inequality and poverty, with a special focus on individual well-being and the intra-household distribution of resources. She is also a pathological optimist, loves to dance and makes the best apple crumble in town.

Koen decancq

Koen is an associate professor at the Herman Deleeck centre for Social Policy of the University of Antwerp and a visiting professor at the Department of Economics at KULeuven. He is an expert on the measurement of inequality, poverty and well-being with a special focus on the incorporation of individual preferences and the role of social policies. 

Jérôme Wittwer

Jérôme is professor or health economics at the University of Bordeaux, director of the EMOS team at Bordeaux Population Health, and president of the French society of health economists. He has recently served on the ‘COVID’ national scientific committee to the French government. He is an expert on the economic evaluation of health policies, health inequalities and the access to health services. Maybe the best wine connoisseur of WAP!

Prudence kwenda

Prudence is an associate professor in the School of Economics and Finance at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She is an expert on labor market, development and family economics, with a particular focus on poverty and inequality in African countries and beyond. She is also a fast cyclist and, according to neighbors, an amazing gardner.

Xavier Jara

Xavier is a research fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex. He is an expert on tax-benefit systems, labor markets and well-being measurement in developed and developing countries, with a broad geographical coverage (Europe, Latin America). He is a fan of Salsa …and Belgian beers.

Anders jonassen

Anders is a labor economist and researcher at the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit in Denmark. He is an expert on policy evaluation, unemployment benefit systems, active labor market policies and the employment effects of social assistance and unemployment insurance programs in Denmark and Europe.

audrey etienne

Audrey is a postdoctoral researcher at OFCE (the French Economic Observatory) in Paris. She was previously a PhD student at Aix-Marseille University. She is an expert on labor market dynamics (with a focus on cooperative firms, skill match and firm efficiency), public sector economics, gender discrimination and inequality.

herwig immervoll

Herwig is the head of the Employment-oriented Social Policies department at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development), in Paris. He has held earlier staff positions at the World Bank and at the University of Cambridge, and is a research fellow at IZA, Bonn, and ISER, UK. Herwig is an expert on social, fiscal and activation policies, microsimulation techniques and policy responses to economic crises. He likes off-piste skiing … on 45° slopes!

Cathal O’Donogue

Cathal is the professor of public and social policy at the National University of Ireland in Galway and the Dean of Arts and Social Sciences. He has previously been the head of Teagasc’s (Irelands Agriculture and Food Development Authority) Rural Economy and Development Programme. He is an expert on social and fiscal policies, pension system, labor markets and dynamic microsimulation models. He plays bagpipe and is the Chair of the Galway Music Centre.. 

linguère mbaye

Linguère is a senior research economist at the Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research Department of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and a research affiliate at IZA, Bonn.  She is an expert on development policies, migration, labor economics and gender. She is passionate about travelling, art and … is currently working on her first novel.

michal myck

Michał Myck is Director of the Centre for Economic Analysis (CenEA) in Szczecin, Poland, associated as Privatdozent with the University of Greifswald, and a former researcher at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (London) and at the DIW (Berlin). He is an expert on poverty, inequality and discrimination, the effectiveness of tax and benefit systems and the implications of labor market regulations on employment and retirement decisions. He is also a keen climber and enjoys a good cup of tea …a rest from his studies at Oxford?

Ulugbek Aminjonov

Ulugbek is a PhD candidate at Bordeaux University, previously junior researchers at the Center for Evaluation and Development (C4ED) in Mannheim. His research focuses on well-being, intra-household decisions and how they are affected by climate shocks, and recently on the impact of trust and poverty on the compliance to lockdown policies. He is also a fierce competitor at FIFA PlayStation and ping-pong.

Alari paulus

Alari is a senior economist at the Bank of Estonia and a former research fellow at the University of Essex and Praxis Centre for Policy Studies. He is an expert on fiscal microsimulation, tax non-compliance and the effect of public policies on the distribution of household income. Alari is a fan of science fiction, cycling and wild nature.

David Rivera Gonzalez

David Rivera Gonzalez is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Bordeaux. His research focuses on labor markets, tax-benefit policies, as well as their link to inequality, and social unrest. He is part of the WAPLAC steering committee and will also be serving as webmaster.

He also spends his extra hours as a dedicated rock climber and cinema buff.

Maria Lo Bue

Maria is tenure-track professor at the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Trieste (Italy). Previously she worked for the United Nations (UNU-WIDER) and at the University of Goettingen, where she also obtained her PhD in Economics. Maria’s research has focused on the evolution and drivers of child nutrition, reproductive health, education and inequality of opportunities in Indonesia and her recent projects include works on women economic empowerment and on intergenerational mobility. She is a passionate fan of the cinema of Antonioni and Fellini and in her free time she is an avid practitioner of Les Mills strength training programs.

Karina Doorley

Karina Doorley heads up the Tax, Welfare and Pensions team at the Economic and Social Research Institute. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin and a member of Young Academy Ireland. Karina’s research focuses on how tax and welfare policy affects income distribution and the labour market. She is particularly interested in gender inequality. Karina loves open-water swimming in cold Irish waters.

Luca Tiberti

Luca Tiberti is an associate professor at the University of Florence and a scientific director of the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP). His main research interests are poverty, the socio-economic impact of climate shocks, and the persistence of gender norms in developing countries.

Iva Valentinova Tasseva

Iva is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She previously worked as a researcher at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. Her research focuses on income inequality and poverty, the redistributive effects of income tax and state benefit policies both within specific countries and from a cross-country comparative perspective, and the measurement error in household survey income data. In her free time, Iva enjoys walking, reading, and listening to podcasts.

Peter Haan

Peter is the the head of the department of Public Economics at DIW Berlin and Professor of Public Economics at Freie Universität Berlin. His research focuses on labor market policies, retirement, health, social policies and welfare systems more generally. He has been a Visiting Fellow at LSE, Paris School of Economics, Institute for Fiscal Studies und UCL London.
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Salvador Barrios

Salvador Barrios is Head of the Fiscal Policy Analysis unit of the Joint Research Centre, European Commission. He received his doctorate from Sciences-Po Paris. His research focuses on public finances, taxation and growth. Before joining the European Commission Salvador held teaching and research positions in several European universities. He occasionally plays funky beats on his drum set.

Eliane El badaoui

Eliane is an associate professor at Paris Nanterre University and a member of the EconomiX research center. Her research focuses on development economics, with a particular interest in labor markets, family arrangements, and gender issues. Her recent projects explore the impact of crises on poverty, migration, and mental health. She enjoys theater and improvisation, stargazing, and cooking.

François Maniquet

François is a professor of economics at UCLouvain, a member of CORE (the Center for Econometrics and Operations Research), and a Senior Research Scientist at LISER (Luxembourg Institute for Socio-Economic Research). He is an expert in well-being measurement, inequality and poverty indices, and in income taxation issues.

Philippe Van Kerm

Philippe is an economist, Professor of Inequality and Social Policy at the University of Luxembourg. He is research director of the Luxembourg Income Study. His research primarily addresses social welfare measurement, income and wealth distribution dynamics, redistribution and social protection. As an occasional taphophile (and necrologist), his kids (and wife) call him weird at times.

Niclas Knecht

Niclas Knecht is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Bordeaux. He works primarily on behavioural economics, namely the way emotions and trust interact in decision making processes.
In his freetime Niclas spends a lot of time cheering on his (largely unsuccessful) hometown football club.