Andrea Bernini

Andrea is an economist working in Applied Microeconomics and Political Economy.

After completing his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Oxford, he continued his research at Oxford as a Career Development Fellow in Economics at Mansfield College and a Lecturer in Economics at Trinity College. He has also held visiting research positions at Harvard University, the University of Venice, and the European University Institute.

His research is on the causes and consequences of economic, social, and political disparities. Much of his work has focused on the U.S. South, and in particular the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which is one of the most transformative civil rights laws in U.S. history. His recent articles have been published in the Journal of Political Economy, Economics & Politics, and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy. His ongoing research continues to explore the impact of institutional reforms on inequality, particularly in historical contexts where institutional legacies impact present-day disparities.

Teaching has been an integral and rewarding part of his academic journey. He has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate economics courses at Oxford, while also mentoring students and contributing to admissions and governance at both departmental and college levels.

Andrea is on the 2024-2025 Job Market. 

Personal Website

www.andreabernini.com

Job Market Paper

Black Empowerment and White Mobilization: The Effects of the Voting Rights Act (with G. Facchini, M. Tabellini, and C. Testa)

Journal of Political Economy, R&R [link]

Abstract: How did southern whites respond to the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA)? Leveraging newly digitized data on county-level voter registration by race between 1956 and 1980, and exploiting pre-determined variation in exposure to the federal intervention, we document that the VRA increases both Black and white political participation. Consistent with the VRA triggering white counter-mobilization, the surge in white registrations is concentrated in counties where African Americans represent a political threat. Counter-mobilization leads to a short-run increase in support for racially conservative candidates, and to a slow-down in local public spending salient to Black Americans, such as public sector employment and education.

NBER [link], VoxEU CEPR [link], VoxDev [link], Harvard Business School Working Knowledge [link]

Award: Best paper presented at the 48th Economic and Business History Society Conference

Published and Forthcoming Papers

Race, Representation and Local Governments in the U.S. South: The Effect of the Voting Rights Act (with G. Facchini and C. Testa)

Journal of Political Economy, 2023, 131 (4): 994-1056 [link]

Abstract: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 redefined race relations in the United States. Yet evidence on its effect on Black office holding remains scant. Using novel data on Black elected officials between 1962 and 1980, we assess the impact of the Voting Rights Act on the racial makeup of local governments in the Deep South. Exploiting predetermined differential exposure of Southern counties to the mandated federal intervention, we show that the latter fostered local Black office holding, particularly in the powerful county commissions, controlling local public finances. In the presence of election by district, covered counties experienced Black representation gains and faster capital spending growth.

The Voice of Radio in the Battle for Equal Rights: Evidence from the U.S. South

Economics & Politics, 2023, 35 (1): 163-226 [link]

Abstract: Although the 1960s race riots have gone down in history as America’s most violent and destructive ethnic civil disturbances, a consensus on the factors able to explain their insurgence is yet to be found. Using a novel data set on the universe of radio stations airing Black-appeal programming, the effect of the media on riots is found to be sizable and statistically significant. A marginal (1%) increase in signal reception from these stations is estimated to lead to a 2.4% and 4.1% rise in the mean levels of the frequency and intensity of riots, respectively. Several mechanisms behind this result are considered, with the quantity, quality, and length of exposure to radio programming all being decisive factors.

Sixty Years of the Voting Rights Act: Progress and Pitfalls (with G. Facchini, M. Tabellini, and C. Testa)

Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2024, 40 (3): 486-497 [link]

Abstract: We review the literature on the effects of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), which removed formal restrictions to Black political participation. After a brief description of racial discrimination suffered by Black Americans since Reconstruction, we introduce the goals that the VRA was meant to achieve. Next, we discuss the local-level impact of the law on political participation and representation, on public goods provision and policing practices, and on labor market outcomes. We then turn to whites’ reactions, from political realignment to electoral counter-mobilization to changes in voting rules and arrests patterns. We conclude by discussing how the evidence reviewed in this article can inform policy-making and the design of legislation aimed at reducing racial discrimination and inequality.

Policy-oriented Publications

Corruption as a Push and Pull Factor of Migration Flows: Evidence from European Countries (with L. Bossavie, D. Garrote Sanchez, and M. Makovec)

Empirica, 2024, 51 (1): 263-281 [link]

Labor Market Outcomes During Opposite Resource Shocks

Empirica, 2024, 51 (4): 1105-1130 [link]

The Impact of Trade on Income Inequality in Mexico (with O. J. de Groot)

Estudios Económicos, 2025, 40 (1), forthcoming [link]

Working Papers (In Progress)

Teacher Identity and Black Achievement: The Impact of Early Schools for Freed People (with L. Althoff and M. Tabellini)

From Ballot to Bench: Black Representation in Southern Justice and Law Enforcement (with G. Facchini, C. Testa, and H. Y. You)

The Effects of NAFTA on Mexican Local Labor Markets (with M. Faber, F. Mattei, and M. Tabellini)

Gender Inequality in Smoking: The Impact of West German Television on East Germany (with S. A. Hartmann)