Jonathan L. Weigel

Jonathan L. Weigel is an Assistant Professor at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley, focusing on the political economy of development. His work bridges state capacity, taxation, and cultural institutions, with fieldwork in the D.R. Congo, Tanzania, and Haiti. He founded the research organization ODEKA in the D.R. Congo and holds a PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University (2018).

• Education
  • PhD, Political Economy and Government, Harvard University (2018)
  • One-year Tripos, Political Theory, Cambridge University
  • BA, Social Studies, Harvard College

Research interests include:

• State capacity and institutional reform in fragile states
• Tax compliance and its behavioral implications
• Cultural economics, particularly religion and norms
• Global health policy and implementation

Scientific contributions span experimental studies on taxation, corruption, and institutional design in the D.R. Congo. His work on tax delegation to local elites (2020, 2022) and zero-sum thinking (2023) has reshaped understanding of state-building. He co-authored chapters in Reimagining Global Health (2013) and received the IIPF Peggy and Richard Musgrave Prize 2023.