On this webpage you will find information on my Philipp Leverhulme Prize 2019 (2020-2024).  There are two distinct big themes we cover under this grant: (a) how can we design institutions to support and encourage cooperation and reduce inequality? and (b) what are the consequences of the "Working fom Home (WFH) Revolution",  specifically how  does WFH affect productivity and innovation?   On this page I will periodically update about activities and outcomes from the project. The support of the Leverhulme Trust is gratefully acknowledged. 

Theme A:  Cooperation, Inequality and Collective Action

Publications: 

• Personal Relative Position, Attribution and Social Trust (joint with A. Albertazzi and P. Lown), SSRN working paper (2023).

Abstract: Across the social sciences researchers have debated the impact income inequality has on people's perceptions, specifically on attribution and social trust. In this paper we use a combination of surveys and behavioral lab experiments to identify a causal impact of inequality on attribution and social trust. We find that higher relative position has a positive impact on belief in meritocracy and social trust, which we causally identify both using a novel incentivized lab task as well as standard survey measures. These results are in line with correlational associations we find using larger general surveys. They speak to why inequality can be so socially and economically corrosive while at the same time remaining largely unaddressed. 

• Preferences for Redistribution (joint with E. Weidenholzer), Journal of Economic Surveys 37(5) (2023), 1660-1677.

Abstract: We survey the literature on preferences for redistribution. We discuss different ways the literature has measured these preferences and review literature on the different determinants of preferences for redistribution. These range from institutions and demographic factors to fairness views and social preferences. Income inequality is, perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the most important determinants of preferences for redistribution. While our survey is largely focused on the economics literature, we also review some work from political science, sociology, and psychology.

Theme B:  Consequences of the WFH Revolution

Under this theme we study various consequences of the working frome home (WFH) revolution. We are specifically focused on how WFH affects productivity and innovation and the role of employee networks for the generation of high quality ideas.

Publications: 

• Innovator Networks within the Firm and the Quality of Innovation (joint with M. Gibbs)and C. Siemroth, mimeo (2025).

Abstract: Using data of about 48,000 innovators within a firm, we study how network position affects innovation, measured by the quality of ideas proposed in a formal suggestion system. Network degree is associated with higher quality ideas. Bridging across structural holes is negatively related to idea quality in the short run, but has positive effects in the medium run. Bridging also has positive and persisting effects on the quality of colleagues' ideas, suggesting a positive externality of `brokers.' Network size is not related to idea quality, after controlling for degree and bridging. Compared to working from the office, remote work leads to lower average network degree and bridging. This weakening of networks may explain the reduced quality of innovation during remote work found in prior literature.

• Work from Home and Productivity: Evidence from Personnel and Analytics Data on IT Professionals, (joint with M. Gibbs and C. Siemroth), Journal of Political Economy - Microeconomics 1(1) (2023), 7-14.

Abstract: We study employee productivity before and during the working-from-home period of the COVID-19 pandemic, using personnel and analytics data from over 10,000 skilled professionals at an Indian technology company. Hours worked increased, output declined slightly, and productivity fell 8%–19%. We then analyze determinants of productivity changes. An important source is higher communication costs. Time spent on coordination activities and meetings increased, while uninterrupted work hours shrank considerably. Employees networked with fewer individuals and business units inside and outside the firm and had fewer one-to-one meetings with supervisors. The findings suggest key issues for firms in implementing remote work. 

• Innovation in Office, Home or Hybrid Work Modes: Evidence from a Tech Firm, (joint with M. Gibbs and C. Siemroth), Scientific Reports 14 (2024), 17117.

Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic forced firms globally to shift workforces to working from home [WFH]. Firms are now struggling to implement a return to working from the office [WFO], as employees enjoy the significant benefits of WFH for their work-life balance. Therefore many firms are adopting a hybrid model in which employees work partly from the office and partly from home. We use unique and detailed data from an Indian IT services firm which contains a precise measure of innovation activity of over 48,000 employees in these three work environments. Our key outcomes are the quantity and quality of ideas submitted by employees. Based on an event study design, the quantity of ideas did not change during the WFH period as compared to WFO, but the quality of ideas suffered. During the later hybrid period, the quantity of submitted ideas fell. In the hybrid phase innovation suffered particularly in teams which were not well coordinated in terms of when they worked at the office or from home. Our findings suggest that remote and hybrid work modes may inhibit collaboration and innovation.

This work has been covered extensively by the media. Under these links you can read up on some of their takes.

Here is a video explaining some of the work. And here some podcasts one of my co-authors participated in: Booth podcast 1  Booth podcast 2

Here is a newsreport from ABC illustrating some of the impact this work has had.