Nicole Stoelinga, Ph. D.
Research Focus
I am an applied microeconomist working at the intersection of development economics, political economy, and behavioral economics. My research investigates the political economy of conflict and its consequences for institutional trust, democratic preferences, and governance. I focus on understanding how exogenous shocks — such as exposure to violence, territorial occupation, or shifts in political representation — shape individual choices and social norms, particularly in contexts marked by ethnic polarization and institutional fragility. By utilizing rigorous empirical methods, my work aims to bridge the gap between applied microeconomics and political economy to isolate the causal mechanisms linking conflict to political attitudes and human development.
Academic Career
- Senior Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics 2023 —
- Lecturer, University of Cologne 2025–
- Assistant lecturer, New York University 2019–2020
- Ph.D in Economics, European University Institute 2017–2023
- M.Res. in Economics, European University Institute 2017–2018
- M.Sc. in Economics, VU University Amsterdam 2015–2016
- B.Sc. in Communication Science, University of Amsterdam 2009–2012