Oliko Vardishvili

Oliko Vardishvili is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the University of California Irvine. His research focuses on quantitative macroeconomics, income inequality, education economics, taxation policy, and health economics. He is currently an AWE Fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Research interests include studying optimal fiscal policies, the macroeconomic impacts of education affordability, and the role of uncertainty in college enrollment decisions. His work combines theoretical models with empirical analysis to address questions of economic efficiency and social welfare.

Notable contributions include analyzing the optimal design of transfers and income-tax progressivity, quantifying the macroeconomic costs of college dropouts, and examining the distributional effects of education policies. His findings suggest significant welfare gains from reducing financial aid uncertainty and adopting more progressive fiscal frameworks.

• Awards/Fellowships: AWE Fellow (2024)

His research has been presented at leading conferences including the NBER Summer Institute, SED meetings, and the European University Institute. Collaborations include work with researchers such as Axelle Ferriere, Philipp Grübener, and Ia Vardishvili.