Hi, I'm Vaasavi, a PhD Candidate at Ohio State University.

My research integrates macroeconomics and political economy to formally model how social institutions—such as misinformation, rent-seeking, and governance failures—endogenously arise from market incentives rather than being treated as exogenous shocks. Using dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models, I develop a rigorous framework for tracing how institutional distortions arise and persist. This framework provides a rigorous foundation for understanding how economic structures and systemic distortions co-evolve over time, influencing political and social outcomes in predictable ways. 

My main aim is to provide a rigorous framework for "endogenizing" institutions. My research agenda bridges mainstream macroeconomic theory with insights from political science and sociology to provide a more comprehensive understanding of institutional dynamics. While much of the literature has documented how institutions impact economic behavior, structural models remain underdeveloped in articulating how these institutions themselves form and persist. Through my work, I aim to establish a cohesive framework that links market mechanisms with the evolution of social institutions, providing a formal economic theory of institutional dynamics that acknowledges their endogenous nature within capitalist structures. On my more casual days, I describe my research as a Marx-Hayek meet-cute. 

My name is pronounced VAH-sah-vee.