Jonas Hjort

Hjort is a development economist whose research examines production in developing countries, with particular focus on firms, organizations, and workers. His work studies how incomplete contracting, information and trade costs, and limited state capacity affect productivity and economic performance.

One strand of his research analyzes how relationships within and between firms influence outcomes in environments where formal contracts are difficult to enforce. This includes work on ethnic divisions and firm performance, as well as studies of supplier relationships and vertical integration among exporters.^[8]

A second strand examines how changes in information and trade costs shape labor markets and firm organization. In this context, he has studied the labor market effects of broadband expansion in Africa, wage-setting in multinational firms, and the economic impact of internet connectivity in developing countries.^[9]

A third strand focuses on public-sector organizations and state effectiveness, including research on bureaucratic performance and the interaction between research and public policy.^[10]

His work combines theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis using administrative and firm-level data, quasi-experimental methods, and randomized controlled trials.^[11]

Hjort received the CESifo Prize for best paper in Applied Microeconomics in 2013. In 2015, he was awarded the Sandmo Junior Visiting Fellowship at the Norwegian School of Economics.^[12] He received the Oliver Williamson Award for Best Paper from the Society of Institutional and Organizational Economics in 2018.^[13] In 2022, he was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council.^[14] He is an elected Fellow of the European Economic Association.^[15]