Areas of Expertise (5)
Political Economy
Democratic Institutions and Collective Decision-making
Influence and Corruption
Morality, Coercion, and Conflict
State Formation and State Capabilities
About
Ernesto Dal Bó is a political economist interested in governance broadly understood. His research focuses on a range of topics: political influence, social conflict, corruption, morality and social norms, state formation, the development of state capabilities, and the qualities and behavior of politicians and public servants. Most of his teaching takes place in the Berkeley MBA program and at the doctoral level where he teaches courses on political economy.
Education (4)
University of Oxford: DPhil, Economics
University of Oxford: MPhil, Economics
University of Buenos Aires: Masters, Economic Policy
University of Buenos Aires: Licentiate in Economics
Links (3)
Honors & Awards (7)
Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching
PhD Program 2020
Hellman Family Faculty Fund Award
2006
Schwabacher Fellowship Award
2005-2006
Earl F. Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching, Full-Time MBA Program
2004
Special Mention, Earl Cheit Outstanding Teaching Award, PhD
2004
J. Rank and C.A.W. Manning Junior Research Fellowship in Social Studies
New College, Oxford
Royal Economic Society Fellowship (Recipient)
2000
Selected External Service & Affiliations (4)
- Co-Director: Berkeley Center for Economics and Politics (BCEP)
- Faculty Board: Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)
- Research Associate – National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
- Research Affiliate – International Growth Centre (IGC)
Positions Held (1)
At Haas since 2003
2013 – present, Phillips Girgich Professor of Business, Haas School of Business 2008 – present, Associate Professor of Political Science, Travers Department of Political Science, UC Berkeley 2010 – 2013, Harold Furst Chair in Management Philosophy and Values, Haas School of Business 2008 – 2010, Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy, Haas School of Business 2007 – 2008, Associate Professor of Political Economy, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University 2004 – 2007, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Travers Department of Political Science, UC Berkeley 2003 – 2007, Assistant Professor of Business and Public Policy, Haas School of Business
Media Appearances (3)
Corporate Responsibility and The Two Minds of Milton Friedman
ProMarket online
2020-11-16
Though people tend to quote the first half of Milton Friedman's statement that corporate executives' “responsibility is to conduct the business in accordance with [the owners’] desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible…," they forget the second half of the quote: "...while conforming to the basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.” Former Haas Dean Rich Lyons, the William & Janet Cronk Chair in Innovative Leadership, and Ernesto Dal Bó, the Phillips Girgich Professor of Business, argue that this respect for "ethical custom" is a constraint on the unrestrained pursuit of profits, and leads to a useful definition of corporate social responsibility.
Why People Vote for Counterproductive Policies
The Atlantic online
2016-12-26
“The sirens’ call is very strong,” said Ernesto Dal Bó, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the paper’s co-authors. “They should vote to go to the new game. In equilibrium, they’re going to make a higher payoff. The problem is, even with very smart individuals … they don’t.”
UC Berkeley professors, alumni create startup to combat money in politics
The Daily Californian online
2016-01-11
“Campaigns have gotten very costly,” said Ernesto Dal Bo, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Economics and Politics and associate professor in the campus political science department. “The barrier to entry for unorganized interests in politics are very high. Similarly, the cost of entry for candidates that are not backed by organized interests is also very high. This organization is trying to lower the cost of entry”...
Selected Papers & Publications (17)
Government Decentralization Under Changing State Capacity: Experimental Evidence From Paraguay
NBER Working Paper
Ernesto Dal Bó, Fred Finan, Nicholas Li, and Laura Schechter
2018
Progress and Perspectives in the Study of Political Selection
Annual Review of Economics
Ernesto Dal Bó and Fred Finan
2018
The Demand for Bad Policy When Voters Underappreciate Equilibrium Effects
Review of Economic Studies
Ernesto Dal Bó. Pedro Dal Bó, and Erik Eyster
2018
Who Becomes a Politician?
Quarterly Journal of Economics
Ernesto Dal Bó, Fred Finan, Olle Folke, Torsten Persson and Johanna Rickne
2017
The Economics of Faith: Using an Apocalyptic Prophecy to Elicit Religious Beliefs in the Field
Journal of Public Economics
Ernesto Dal Bó, Ned Augenblick, Jesse Cunha, and Justin Rao
2016
"Do the Right Thing:" The Effects of Moral Suasion on Cooperation
Journal of Public Economics
Ernesto Dal Bó and Pedro Dal Bó
2014
Strengthening State Capabilities: The Role of Financial Incentives in the Call to Public Service
Quarterly Journal of Economics
Ernesto Dal Bó, Frederico Finan, and Martín Rossi
2013
Self-Esteem, Moral Capital, and Wrongdoing
Journal of the European Economic Association
Ernesto Dal Bó and Marko Terviö
2013
Term Length and the Effort of Politicians
The Review of Economic Studies
Ernesto Dal Bó, Martín A. Rossi
2011
Workers, Warriors and Criminals: Social Conflict in General Equilibrium
Journal of the European Economic Association
Ernesto Dal Bó and Pedro Dal Bó
2011
Term Length and the Effort of Politicians
Review of Economic Studies
Ernesto Dal Bó and Martín Rossi
2011
A Model of Spoils Politics
American Journal of Political Science
Ernesto Dal Bó and Robert Powell
2009
Political Dynasties
Review of Economic Studies
Ernesto Dal Bó, Pedro Dal Bó, and Jason Snyder
2007
Plata o Plomo [Silver or Lead]?: Bribe and Punishment in a Theory of Political Influence
American Political Science Review
Ernesto Dal Bó, Pedro Dal Bó, and Rafael Di Tella
2006
Teaching (3)
Political Economy
Berkeley Haas PhD program
States, Elites, and Bureaucracies
Political Science PhD program
Ethics and Responsible Business Leadership
MBA and EWMBA programs