Dr Rigissa Megalokonomou

Honorary Senior Res Fellow

School of Economics
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law

Overview

I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Economics at the University of Queensland and a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) since 2016.

I received my Ph.D in Economics from the University of Warwick (UK) in 2016.

My research interests lie in Applied Microeconomics with a particular focus on the areas of Economics of Education and Labor Economics. As a secondary field I am interested in Applied Econometrics.

Research Interests

  • Economics of Education
  • Labor Economics
  • Applied Microeconomics
  • Applied Econometrics

Research Impacts

My research interests are in line with applied micro-economics, especially focusing on policy-relevant questions in education and labor economics. I am interested in understanding how do social comparisons and generally social interactions affect students' productivity, educational choices and labor market outcomes. Knowing how one's characteristics compare to those of other individuals is important in many concepts of economic decision making. I am also interested in assessing education policies at any school level with implications to the labor market that are aiming at improving disadvantaged students' outcomes. My research contributes to a deeper understanding of the existing factors and the consideration of new factors in the education production function. My research addresses original, causal and policy-relevant questions such as: Do students improve their performance when they know their rank? Do peer networks (schoolmates and neighbors) affect students' college enrollment? Does class attendance increase educational outcomes? Can teachers' stereotypic behavior explain the gender inequalities in achievements or the gender occupational gaps? By how much does a €1200 bursary at the age of 18 raise wages and affect migration decisions? What is the effect of the current financial crisis on students' preferences over college majors? My research has also received media attention. It is very interesting to communicate with a general audience.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Warwick

Publications

  • Megalokonomou, Rigissa and Vasilakis, Chrysovalantis (2023). The effects of exposure to refugees on crime: Evidence from the Greek islands. European Economic Review, 160 104605, 104605. doi: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104605

  • Goulas, Sofoklis, Griselda, Silvia and Megalokonomou, Rigissa (2023). Compulsory class attendance versus autonomy. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 212, 935-981. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2023.06.018

  • Dinerstein, Michael, Megalokonomou, Rigissa and Yannelis, Constantine (2022). Human capital depreciation and returns to experience. American Economic Review, 112 (11), 3725-3762. doi: 10.1257/aer.20201571

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Megalokonomou, Rigissa, Vidal-Fernandez, Marian and Yengin, Duygu (2022). Underrepresentation of women in undergraduate economics degrees in Europe. Critical Perspectives on Economics of Education. (pp. 6-20) edited by Silvia Mendolia, Martin O'Brien, Alfredo R. Paloyo and Oleg Yerokhin. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003100232-2

Journal Article

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Completed Supervision