Laura Schechter

Laura Schechter is a Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, holding the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor chair. Her research spans Development Economics, Political Economy, and Behavioral Economics, focusing on sanitation policy, social networks, vote-buying, and trust dynamics in developing contexts.

Her work systematically examines how market mechanisms (e.g., auctions in Senegal), information campaigns (e.g., radio interventions in India), and technological tools (e.g., GPS-enabled systems in Paraguay) influence public goods provision, political accountability, and social capital. Publications reveal a focus on urban/rural sanitation, decentralization, social network effects, and historical conflict impacts (e.g., Paraguay's Triple Alliance War).

Scientific Awards:

• Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor

She has served as Co-Editor for the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (2017-2022), Associate Editor for multiple journals, and held teaching roles across institutions including Yale, Michigan State University, and UW Madison, where she teaches courses on economic development, Latin American economies, and graduate development theory. Collaborations include researchers at Berkeley, Stanford, and J-PAL.