A Conference on
"Economics and Conflict"
January 13-14, 2016
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus,
Department of Economics, Room 4212
Wednesday, January 13
09:00-09:30
Gathering
09:30-10:15
How and Why Do Civil Wars Begin?
James Fearon (Stanford University)
10:15-10:30
Coffee Break
10:30-11:15
The State As Organized Crime: Industrial Organization of the Police in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Raul Sanchez de la Sierra (UC Berkeley)
Joint with Kristof Titeca
11:15-12:00
The Financial Power of the Powerless: Socio-Economic Status and Interest Rates
under Partial Rule of Law
Timur Kuran (Duke University)
12:00-13:30
Lunch
13:30-14:15
Political Connections and Labor Repression during Argentina’s Dirty War
Esteban Klor (The Hebrew University)
Joint with Sebastian Saiegh and Shanker Satyanath
14:15-15:00
Does Contemporary Armed Conflict Have ‘Deep Historical Roots’?
David D. Laitin (Stanford University)
Joint with James Fearon
18:00-20:30
Mishkenot Sha'annanim, Gilbert de Botton Auditorium
Round Table on Resolving Ethnic Conflicts
18:00-18:30
Gathering and Refreshments
18:30-20:30
Panel Discussion
Chair: Moses Shayo, Director, The Pinhas Sapir Forum
Panelists:
Eli Berman
UC San Diego
Timur Kuran
Duke University
David D. Laitin
Stanford University
Joseph Zeira
The Hebrew University

General Discussion
Thursday, January 14
9:00-9:30
Gathering
09:30-10:15
Expanding Governance as Development: Evidence on Child Nutrition in the
Philippines
Eli Berman (UC San Diego)
Joint with Mitch Downey and Joseph Felter
10:15-10:30
Coffee Break
10:30-11:15
Swords into Bank Shares: Financial Innovations and Innovators in Solving the
Political Economy Challenges of Development
Saumitra Jha (Stanford University)
11:15-12:00
Valuing Peace: The Effects of Financial Market Exposure on Votes and Political
Attitudes
Moses Shayo (The Hebrew University)
Joint with Saumitra Jha
12:00-13:15
Lunch
13:15-14:00
Do Defensive Measures against Terrorism Work? Evidence from the Israel Housing
Market
Asaf Zussman (The Hebrew University)
Joint with Yael Elster and Noam Zussman
14:00-14:45
Interactions, stereotypes and performance: Evidence from South Africa
Eliana La Ferrara (Bocconi University)
Joint with Justine Burns and Lucia Corno
14:45-15:30
Testing the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek Theory with a Natural Experiment
Assaf Zimring (University of Michigan)
15:30-16:00
Coffee Break
16:00-16:45
Networks in Conflict: Theory and Evidence from the Great War of Africa
Mathias Thoenig (University of Lausanne),
Joint with Michael D. König, Dominic Rohner and Fabrizio Zilibotti
16:45-17:30
Human Shields
Macartan Humphreys (Columbia University)
Conference Organizers:
Saumitra Jha (Stanford University)
Moses Shayo (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
For more information and registration please contact Ronit Ashkenazi
ronit.ashkenazi@mail.huji.ac.il