PHD THESIS
Title: Three Essays on Digital Development
Hossein’s PhD thesis consists of three essays on digital development. The first examines how weak electricity infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa contributes to the high price of mobile services by raising firms’ costs and limiting competition. The second explores why market-place platforms extend credit to small sellers, focusing on commission-based incentives and the use of virtual space on the platform as an intangible form of collateral. The third studies the rollout of ride-sharing in Iran, showing both income and employment gains but also reduced access to social protection. Together, the chapters highlight the multifaceted impacts of digitalization in developing economies.
PROFILE
Hossein is a PhD candidate in Economics at the Geneva Graduate Institute, where he also earned his Master’s degree in International Economics. As an applied microeconomist, his research lies at the intersection of development economics and industrial organization, with a primary focus on digital development. He has also worked as a consultant for the London School of Economics, the International Labor Organization, and the Competitiveness Research Network, where he gained extensive experience working with large-scale data. In addition, he serves as a teaching assistant for the course Industrial Organization at the Geneva Graduate Institute, where he gives tutorials on game theory and models of firm competition for Master’s students.