About

Current positions

Primary position
Associate Professor
Department of Economics, Monash University
Since
June 2024
Associate Editor
Economic Record
Jan 2025 – present
Treasurer
Economic Society of Australia
Nov 2025 – present
Research Group Coordinator
Macro, International and Growth Research Group, Monash
Jan 2026 – present

Memberships

Tax and Transfer Policy Institute (TTPI) Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA) Women in Economics Network (WEN) — Victoria Economic Society of Australia

Research

Publications & working papers

Revise & resubmit
"Optimal Size and Composition of Government Spending in Small Open Economies" (with Qingyuan Du, Pedro Gomis-Porqueras, and Chung Tran). R&R at Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control.
"Changes in the Composition of Tax Revenues: Implications for Monetary and Fiscal Policy" (with P. Gomis-Porqueras and Z. Zhou). R&R at Macroeconomic Dynamics.
"Winner or Loser? Opening to Export Markets and Gender-Specific Labor Market Adjustments" (with Qingyuan Du and Nguyen Van Tran). R&R at The World Economy.
Publications — journal articles
"Optimal Parental Leave Subsidization with Endogenous Fertility and Growth" (with S.M. Li and S.L. Yew). Economic Inquiry, 62(1), 2024, 97–125.
"Social Disorganization Theory and Crime in the Advanced Countries" (with Z. Eroll and J.B. Madsen). Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, 191, 2021, 519–537.
"Assaults during Lockdown in NSW and Victoria" (with J. Parasnis, M. Tani and J. Vejayaratnam). Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 24(2), 2021, 199–212.
"What Has Driven the Great Fertility Decline in Developing Countries since 1960?" (with J.B. Madsen and C. Wang). The Journal of Development Studies, 23, 2018, 1–20.
"Does Home Production Drive Structural Transformation?" (with A. Moro and S. Tanaka). American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 9(3), 2017, 1–33.
"Marriage and Economic Development in the Twentieth Century" (with Alessio Moro and Satoshi Tanaka). Journal of Demographic Economics, 83(4), 2017, 379–420.
↗ Marriage dataset for 16 OECD countries
"Public-Private Mix of Health Expenditure: A Political Economy Approach and a Quantitative Exercise" (with S.M. Li and S. Yew). Canadian Journal of Economics, 49(2), 2016, 834–866.
↗ Online appendix
"The Role of Dietary Choices and Medical Expenditures on Health Outcomes when Health Shocks are Endogenous" (with P. Gomis-Porqueras and R.M.H. Suen). Economic Modelling, 54, 2016, 13–25.
"Economic Freedom and Productivity Growth in Resource-rich Economies" (with M. Farhadi and Md.R. Islam). World Development, 72, 2015, 109–126.
"The Composition of Government Expenditure: Economic Conditions and Preferences" (with J. Creedy and S.M. Li). Economic Inquiry, 49, 2011, 94–107.
"A Loglinear Tax and Transfer Function: Majority Voting and Optimal Rates" (with J. Creedy). Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 14, 2011, 1–14.
"Inequality Aversion and the Optimal Composition of Government Expenditure" (with J. Creedy and S.M. Li). Macroeconomic Dynamics, 14, 2010, 290–306.
"The Role of Home Production in Voting over Taxes and Expenditure" (with J. Creedy). Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 13, 2010, 81–97.
"The Optimal Division of Government Expenditure between Public Goods and Transfer Payments" (with J. Creedy). Australian Economic Papers, 49, 2010, 87–100.
"Macro-Fiscal Implications of Health Care Reform in Advanced and Emerging Economies — Case Studies." Prepared by the Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Policy Paper (Washington, December 2010).
"Modelling the Composition of Government Expenditure in Democracies" (with J. Creedy). European Journal of Political Economy, 25, 2009, 42–55.
Work in progress
The Inflationary Impact of Government Spending Shocks: Do Funding Choices Matter?
Parenting Style and Fertility: Across Country Analysis
Effect of Children's Gender on Parental Labour Supply

Curriculum vitae

Academic history

Positions held

2024 – now
Associate Professor
Monash University
2017 – 2024
Senior Lecturer
Monash University
2010 – 2016
Lecturer
Monash University
Aug – Dec 2015
Visiting Scholar
Indiana University
Jul – Sep 2010
Research Intern
International Monetary Fund

Education

2011
PhD in Economics
University of Melbourne
2005
MS in Economics
Sharif University of Technology, Iran
2002
BS in Economics
Shahid Beheshti University, Iran

Teaching

Courses & awards

Course Level Period
Macroeconomics (Honours, Masters, PhD) Postgraduate 2021 – present
Government Spending, Taxes, and Bonds 3rd year 2022 – present
Monetary Economics 3rd year 2018 – 2021
Macroeconomics (Honours) Honours 2014 – 2020
Applied Macroeconomics Masters 2011 – 2015

Teaching awards

Department of Economics Teaching Award 2019

Department of Economics Teaching Prize (ECC4660) 2016

Department of Economics Teaching Commendation 2015

Department of Economics Teaching Prize (ECF5421) 2015

Service & engagement

Professional activities

Editorial & professional

Associate Editor, Economic Record (Jan 2025 – present)
Treasurer, Economic Society of Australia (Nov 2025 – present)
Committee member, Women in Economics Network — Victoria (2018 – present)
Equity and Social Inclusion Committee, Monash Business School (2020 – 2023)

Refereeing

European Economic Review; World Development; Canadian Journal of Economics; Economic Modelling; Economic Bulletin; Economic Inquiry; Economic Record; The World Economy

Conference & workshop organisation (selected)

Co-chair, Australian Gender Economics Workshop (AGEW), Monash, Feb 2026
Scientific committee, WAMS 2025, Monash, Nov 2024
Local organising committee, Econometric Society (ESAM), Monash, Dec 2024
Scientific committee, Australian Gender Economics Workshop, Feb 2024, 2021, 2019
Deputy coordinator, Development, Growth and History Research Group (2020–2023)
Co-organised 33rd PhD Conference at Monash, 2020
Summer School in Macroeconomics, 2016

PhD supervision (completed)

Changchen Ge — submitted 2025, Postdoc, Econometrics, Monash
Alireza M. Sepahvand — submitted 2025, Postdoc, University of Edinburgh
Van Anh Tran — submitted 2025
Nguyen Tran — submitted 2023, Lecturer in Economics & Statistical Analytics, Victoria University Business School
Olamid Ayoade-alabi — submitted 2021, Senior Economist, FTI Consulting, Melbourne
Zeresh Errol — submitted 2020, Australian Tax Office