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When running for office.
(Political Selection)
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During election campaign.
(Democratic Accountability)
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Once in office.
(Governance)
Slices of Filipino political life. Click on the images to enlarge. Can you spot the good politician? Surely not all politicians are bad. But what makes a good politician anyway? Why don't we see a whole lot of them around? At what point in the democratic process do we lose them? How do we attract and keep them in public office? How do we deter the bad ones? What can we do, as academics and policymakers, to improve the quality of the elected government? These are some of the questions that motivate my research. Scroll down to learn more about my research agenda. Bonus: Spot my cameo appearance. Commissioned artworks by Filipino artist Bladimer Usi.
Ongoing Projects.

2018-2019. Police Community Relations (Phases I & II). With Dotan Haim and Matthew Nanes.

2018-2019. Public Works Accountability and Civil Society Advocacy. With Eitan Paul, Allen Hicken, and Ron Mendoza.

2019. De-escalating Conflict in the Philippines. With Dotan Haim and Renard Sexton.

Publications.

Hicken, Allen, Stephen Leider, Nico Ravanilla and Dean Yang. 2018. "Temptation in Vote-Selling: Evidence from a Field Experiment in the Philippines." Journal of Development Economics. 131(-): 1-14.

Hicken, Allen, Stephen Leider, Nico Ravanilla and Dean Yang. 2015. “Measuring Vote–Selling: Field Evidence from the Philippines." American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings. 105(5): 352-56.

Ravanilla, Nico and Eduard Joseph DP Robleza. 2005. “The Contribution of OFW Remittances to Income Inequality: A Decomposition Analysis." Philippine Review of Economics. 42(2): 27-54.

Book Chapters (a.k.a. Policy Advocacy).

Ravanilla, Nico. 2019. "The Multimember Plurality System in the Philippines & Its Implications." In Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines, ed. Paul Hutchcroft.

     "Experts mull PH federalism shift, improving electoral system" Rappler (17 July 2016).

Atkinson, James, Allen Hicken and Nico Ravanilla. 2015. “Pork & Typhoons: The Influence of Political Connections on Disaster Response." In Building Inclusive Democracies in ASEAN, eds. Ronald Mendoza, Edsel Beja Jr., et al. Manila: Anvil, 74–96.

     "Politics and disaster aid in the Philippines" The Monkey Cage, The Washington Post (12 November 2013).
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​     "Under decentralization: More Ampatuans than Robredos?" Rappler (22 November 2016). ​

Working Papers.

Electoral Pressures and the Incentive to "Bring Home the Pork: The Case of Philippine Senators. With Allen Hicken.

Motives in Pork Distribution: Partisan Bias or Patronage?

Family Networks and Voter Behavior: Evidence from the Philippines. With Michael Davidson and Allen Hicken.

     "The Staying Power of Dynastic Politicians in the Philippines" Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia (September 2017).

​The Importance of Bureaucrats in a Weak State: Evidence from the Philippines. With Mark Dincecco.

Google Scholar. Please click here to view my Google Scholar page.
Statement. Please click here to download a copy of my latest research statement.