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When running for office.
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During election campaign.
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Once in office.
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.

2017. Police Community Relations (Phases I & II). With Dotan Haim and Matthew Nanes.

2016. Brokers, Social Networks, Reciprocity and Strategies of Clientelism. Download pre-analysis plan here. ​Manuscript draft in progress. With Dotan Haim and Allen Hicken.

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.

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.
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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.

Working Papers.

Attracting Good People into Public Service: Evidence from a Field Experiment in the Philippines.

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 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.