Thirty Graduate Students Win Grants from the Center for Political Economy

The Center for Political Economy has awarded 30 students as recipients of its Graduate Student Grants for 2025. The one-year grants are intended to support research and the generation of new knowledge and new networks in the field of political economy.

“This year’s group of graduate grantees is exceptionally strong and we are looking forward to following their research projects as they develop over the year. I am grateful for the opportunity to have heard from the grantees about the plans for their research at our 2025 Grantee Showcase.” – David Caughlin, project director, Center for Political Economy.

The center sought research projects that use qualitative and/or quantitative approaches, including those that incorporate historical, ethnographic, interview-based, or policy or legal analysis. The awards range from $1,000 up to $20,000 and can be used to purchase data or computing resources; hire research assistants; conduct new research; travel to archives and/or external academic convenings; and organize workshops and conferences.

In evaluating proposals, Center faculty reviewers prioritized collaborative and multidisciplinary projects, those with the potential to break new ground in understanding the intersections of economics and political and social processes in the U.S., and those advancing theoretical, conceptual, and methodological innovation. Learn more about the Center’s 2024 Graduate Student Grantees and their research topics.

The topics were organized by the Center’s four Idea Labs – Firms and Industrial Policy, Work and Labor, Money and Finance, and Climate – as well as the cross-cutting themes of International Political Economy and the relationship between Political Economy and Democracy.
 

Work and Labor Projects

Kaitlin Hao, East Asian Languages and Cultures Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Media as a Mode of Transnational Labor Organizing: Labor Movements in Saipan, 1980-2007

Kaitlin’s project explores how media—including newspapers, documentary films, and television—supported Chinese migrant garment workers in Saipan (1980s–2000s) in organizing against exploitative labor conditions within Cold War-era transnational industries and their aftermaths. Integrating media studies, history, and anthropology, this project contributes to discussions on East Asian migration, legal exclusion, and media’s role in transnational labor organizing.

Anusha Sundar, History Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: Labor Migration, Health and Welfare in Colonial India and Ceylon c. 1860-1930

Anusha’s project examines the ‘coolie’ as central to colonial welfare in late 19th- and early 20th-century South India and Ceylon, evolving from a laborer under paternalistic state protections to a political subject by the 1920s. The project explores how medical knowledge, welfare politics, and labor conditions shaped this transformation amid agrarian, economic, and ecological crises.

Marini Thorne, Anthropology Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: Uber in India: Labour, mobility, and solidarity amongst app-based drivers in Mumbai

Marini’s project examines labor organizing among migrant ride-hail drivers for platforms like Uber and Ola in Mumbai, India, a country projected to be the largest global market for ride-hailing. This project explores the role of migrant laborers in worker collectives and their impact on organizing in ride-hail work. The project aims to provide insights for global trade unions, civil society, and policymakers.

Ranjani Srinivasan, Urban Planning Doctoral Candidate, GSAPP 

Title: Velai: Land, Labour, and Politics in a Small Town

Ranjani’s project examines the changing relationships between land, labor, and caste in deindustrializing small towns in India from the 1960s to the present, focusing on Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka. This project examines the dynamics of co-option within the trade union movement, the divide-and-rule tactics used by the public firms to weaken it, and the role of local municipal politics in moderating its claims. 

Gina Markov, Economics Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: Technology in the Workplace: How Information Asymmetries affect Bargaining Power and Social Capital

Collaborator: Jacob Spitz, PhD Student, GSAS Economics

Gina and Jacob’s project uses large language models to analyze technological determination in U.S. collective bargaining agreements—particularly how information asymmetry, bargaining power, social and capital networks, and the role of unions shape these negotiations. The project aims to produce academic and policy-oriented output, including data on technology and unions.

Hannah Farkas, Sustainable Development Doctoral Candidate, SIPA 

Title: Hourly Work and Extreme Weather

Hannah’s project examines the consequences of extreme weather events on hourly workers in industries such as retail and food service, with the goal of determining potential welfare impacts across worker safety, wages, and scheduling.

Samuel Niu, History Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: Chinese Labor in the United States South and British Caribbean in the Age of Emancipation, 1838-1888

Samuel’s project examines Chinese immigrants’ political and economic influence on struggles for freedom in post-slavery societies. The project expands the Atlantic World’s freedom struggle to include Pacific immigrants and transnational labor brokers. The project connects labor history, immigration and ethnic studies, and histories of capitalism with global racial politics.

Firms and Industrial Policy Projects

Eshaan Patel, Economics Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: Power, Targeting, and Firm Growth

Collaborator: Dafne Murillo, PhD Student, Economics 

Eshaan and Dafne’s project aims to understand why firms in less developed countries struggle to succeed compared to those in the United States with a focus on the barriers to growth in the local environment, including political barriers. Specifically, the project investigates how firms in less developed countries might exploit the political environment to create additional costs for their rivals through the manipulation of government inspections. 

Tarikua Erda, Sustainable Development Doctoral Candidate, SIPA

Title: Disasters, Capital, and Productivity

Tarikua’s project aims to look at how firms respond to disaster risk, which is exacerbated by climate change. In collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing Productivity the project aims to explore issues such as barriers to increasing disaster risks. 

Jay Pan, History Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Neomercantilism and the Mixed Economy in 20th Century Mexico

Jay’s project advocates for both Free trade and protectionism to be considered as neomercantilism strategies used by the Mexican Government.  The project reaches this recommendation by looking at the relationship between Mexico's economic policies in two critical time periods; state-led industrialization (1934-1985) and the neoliberal transformation (1986-1995).

Seowoo Chung, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Political barriers to global green energy transition: firm-level response to climate risk and investment protection

Seowoo’s project explores barriers to the global green energy transition by analyzing how oil and gas firms seek out institutional environments with legal safeguards, such as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions, and how these environments can deter regulatory actions by states.

Kaarish Shah Maniar, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Monopoly & the Origins of Democracy in 17th Century England

Kaarish’s archival project examines 17th-century writings on market capitalism, focusing on how early thinkers viewed market competition not only as an alternative to state authority but also as a call for public intervention. This project explores how these early conceptions of economic power and equality laid the groundwork for modern democratic thought, particularly in relation to anti-monopoly theory and its implications for political and economic systems.

Money and Finance Projects

Alexander Borsa, Sociomedical Sciences Doctoral Candidate, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Title: Parent Companies: Private Equity and the Financialization of Fertility

Alexander’s project examines how private equity (PE) firms have rapidly gained a significant share of the U.S. fertility system and explores the implications of this shift for access to fertility and reproductive healthcare. This project investigates how the increasing presence of PE firms in the industry affects both the quality of care and the accessibility of services for individuals seeking fertility treatment.

Aaron Freedman, History Doctoral Candidate, GSAS 

Title: The Making of Modern Wall Street: The Crisis of American Capitalism and the Rise of a New Financial Class, 1970-1989

Aaron’s project explores the political and ethnographic history of Wall Street from the 1970s to the 1990s, examining how the growth of Wall Street as a central force in the American economy aligns with the development of government regulatory policies. This project focuses on the interplay between Wall Street financiers and policymakers, investigating how their actions shaped the financial landscape and influenced regulatory frameworks during this transformative period.

Shawn Park, Doctoral Candidate in the Finance Division of Columbia Business School

Title: Presidential Portfolio and Beliefs in Financial Markets

Shawn’s project examines a portfolio-based framework that predicts whether a firm will be favored or disfavored by a presidential candidate’s policies. By analyzing how various political policies impact firm performance, this project provides insights into how different presidential administrations might influence the financial market and firm-level outcomes, helping investors anticipate shifts based on policy shifts.

Jessica Goldenring, Doctoral Candidate in the Finance Division of Columbia Business School

Title: Tax Sensitivity and Investment Competition: The Role of Separately Managed Accounts

Jessica’s project examines the circumstances under which it would be more beneficial for investors to choose Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) over mutual funds. Using a structural model, this project will examine the differential tax treatment of mutual funds and SMAs, assessing how tax strategies employed in SMAs—such as loss harvesting—contribute to wealth disparities and impact government tax revenues which have important policy implications.

Political Economy of Climate Projects

Clara Berestycki, Sustainable Development Doctoral Candidate, SIPA

Title: Wildfire Smoke Plumes, Time Allocation, and Smartphone Mobility Data

Clara’s project utilizes smartphone mobility data to understand adaptation to wildfire-induced air pollution, focusing on how individuals modify their daily activities in response to smoke exposure. This project suggests that avoidant behavior, such as staying indoors or reducing outdoor time, is a key response. By examining time allocation patterns, including time spent at home, outdoors, and at work, the project sheds light on how people adjust their routines during wildfire events to minimize health risks from smoke exposure.

Xuexin Cai, East Asian Languages and Cultures Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Between Wasteland and Wilderness: Rubber, Nature, and the Making of Tropical China, 1945-1998

Xuexin’s project focuses on the southern province Yunnan, a region in western China that is one of the world’s most biologically and culturally diverse areas. Tracing the ecological, socioeconomic, and discursive transformations of this tropical borderland, the project explores how it became central to China’s tropical industries and conservation sciences. Through a focus on rubber production and nature conservation, this project examines how these processes shaped both the state and the lived experiences of local and migrant populations.

Giulia Leila Travaglini, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Workers and Management Role in the Politics of the Green Energy Transition

Giulia’s project examines how shifts in management perceptions of climate change influenced corporate political behavior in Wisconsin and Iowa from 2009 to 2016. By analyzing how changing climate-related attitudes among corporate leadership affected their stance on state-level green energy policies, the project aims to reveal broader implications for corporate engagement with environmental issues.

Ella Bayi, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Beyond the Trees: Distributional Conflicts and the Politics of Deforestation in Amazonian Countries

Ella’s project examines environmental state capacity in Latin America through the lens of a distributional conflict framework, focusing on the tension between development and environmental sustainability. This project  investigates how state capacity fluctuations in Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia influence deforestation policies, with particular attention to the conflict between actors who rely on resource extraction and those invested in the long-term sustainability of the environment. The project explores how political decisions, shaped by these competing interests, determine the strength or weakness of agencies tasked with controlling deforestation.

International Political Economy Projects

Kate Reeve, History Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Living Possession: Indigenous Property in Empire

Kate’s project examines the restructuring of Indigenous land rights within British settler colonies, where property formation was inextricably linked to Indigenous dispossession. Focusing on legal disputes in North America and Australasia, this project investigates how colonial laws and socioeconomic transformations remade—rather than erased—Indigenous ownership. This project argues that these changes were central to the political economy of settler states, shaping the evolving significance, parameters, and constraints of Indigenous proprietorship.

Caixia Mao, Urban Planning Doctoral Candidate, GSAPP

Title: Fragile Techno-political Machine: (Dis)entanglement of Chinese and Japanese infrastructure assemblages in Indonesia

Caixia’s project examines the techno-politics of transnational infrastructure projects in Indonesia, focusing on Chinese and Japanese-funded railway technologies under the Jokowi administration. This project explores how these projects serve political and economic goals and their impact on governance in Indonesia.

Yujin Zhang, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Geopolitical Competition and the Adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence Products

Yujin’s project explores how national security, international competition, and personal interests shape public attitudes toward generative AI in the U.S. and China. The project investigates how factors like job security and nationalism influence technology adoption and views on the country of origin, offering insights into cross-national cooperation and its political implications.

Nandil Bhatia, Doctoral Candidate in the Management Division of Columbia Business School

Title: Friends in the Boardroom, Enemies at the Border: Technological Dependence and Investments amid Sino-Indian Geopolitical Tensions

Nandil’s project examines how firms manage geopolitical risks, focusing on technological dependencies and the impact of political tensions and using the deterioration of India-China relations as a case study. The project explores how Indian firms govern their investments to mitigate rising geopolitical risks, and complements the growing body of literature on geopolitics in economics and international business, among other unique contributions to the field.

Political Economy and Democracy Projects

Martin Devaux, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: The Impact of Political Attitudes on Local Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Martin’s project examines how local anti-immigration attitudes impact immigrant entrepreneurship and business decisions, using a survey of French business owners to analyze how political views influence entrepreneurial activity. The goal of the project is to causally determine whether local attitudes toward immigration affect immigrants' willingness to open a business in a given community and how this compares to other considerations.

Andrea Ciccarone, Economics Department Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Visual Partisanship in TV News

Andrea’s project develops a methodology to measure partisan bias in television news by analyzing both visual and verbal content. This project compares the visual similarity between news segments and partisan political ads, using machine learning techniques to assess how visuals influence political beliefs.

Yinghui Zhou, Political Science Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Rewriting the Fiscal Contract: Individual Income Tax Reform and Citizen’s Social Policy Preferences

Yinghui’s project examines China’s 2018 Individual Income Tax Reform’s emphasis on transparency, and its impact on citizen’s social policy preferences. The project serves as a case study on how fiscal modernization in an authoritarian state affects citizens' perceptions of government obligations and social welfare.

Zheng Fu, Sociology Doctoral Candidate, GSAS

Title: Governing the Market of Online Influence and Misinformation Across Political Contexts

Zheng’s project compares how online discourse is regulated in the US and China, with the US relying on journalistic fact-checking and China using state-controlled regulations. The project analyzes the role of market actors—fact-checkers, governments, platforms, and influencers—in constructing the boundaries of truth and falsehood. This market-based approach reveals how misinformation is socially constructed and policed under different governance structures and governance actors.