Maria is a Lecturer in Economics and Policy at the Department of Political Economy. She is also a Research Associate at the Centre for Economics Performance at the LSE and at the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University.

Previously, Maria was a Research Officer at the Centre for Economic Performance (LSE) and she holds a PhD from Erasmus University. She works predominantly in policy evaluation and on topics such as inequality, the effects of deprivation and of poor economic experiences, and the well-functioning of labour markets.

For more information, visit Maria’s website here.

Office hours

Tuesday: 14.00 - 15.00

Thursday: 15.00 - 16.00

Reserve a slot here: https://mariacotofan.youcanbook.me/

Research

• Labour economics
• Experimental and behavioural economics
• Policy evaluation

Teaching

• Principles of Economics
• Topics in Applied Microeconomics 

PhD supervision

Maria is happy to supervise students interested in applied microeconomics, labour economics, or behavioural economics. 

Some of the topics that Maria is interested in include (but are not limited to):

• The impact of incentives on behaviour (with a focus on non-pecuniary aspects).
• The effects of early experiences on behaviour, preferences, and beliefs.
• Projects on policy evaluation in labour, education, health, and development.
• Wellbeing Inequality.
• Immigration and its socio-political consequences.

Publications

Clark, A. E., Cotofan, M., & Layard, R. (2024). Do wages underestimate the inequality in workers' rewards? The joint distribution of job quality and wages across occupations. Economica, 91(362), 497-546.

Cotofan, M., Dur, R., & Meier, S. (2024). Does growing up in economic hard times increase compassion? The case of attitudes towards immigration. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 218, 245-262.

Cotofan, M., Cassar, L., Dur, R., & Meier, S. (2023). Macroeconomic conditions when young shape job preferences for life. Review of Economics and Statistics, 105(2), 467-473.

Cotofan, M., Diris, R., & Schils, T. (2022). Who benefits from attending the higher track? The effect of track assignment on skill development and the role of relative age. Journal of Human Capital, 16(2), 273-302.

Cotofan, M., De Neve, J. E., Golin, M., Kaats, M., & Ward, G. (2021). Work and well-being during COVID-19: Impact, inequalities, resilience, and the future of work. World Happiness Report, 153-190.

Cotofan, M. (2021). Learning from praise: Evidence from a field experiment with teachers. Journal of Public Economics, 204, 104540.

Clark, A., Cotofan, M., & Layard, R. (2021). The Full Returns to Low Wage Jobs. Report for the Low Pay Commission. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science.