Dario De Quarti

PhD Candidate in Economics, Geneva Graduate Institute

I am a PhD candidate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. My research interests are in development economics and international trade. You can find my CV here.

My current doctoral research is on humanitarian aid and trade in South Sudan, and on informality and tax compliance in Zambia. This work is supported by several grants and fellowships, including from IGC, STEG (CEPR), ReCIPE (CEPR) and UNU-WIDER.

Before the PhD, I worked at the World Trade Organization and at the International Trade Centre (UN/WTO).

CV Email
Dario De Quarti
New
In October 2026, I'll be presenting at the DevEconMeet Conference in Palermo. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to connect there!

Research

Ongoing Doctoral Research 2 +−
Humanitarian Aid and Trade in South Sudan
How should we invest in and allocate humanitarian aid in conflict-affected economies? I combine six years of geospatial data on trade, aid, and conflict across South Sudanese marketplaces to study the spatial allocation of humanitarian aid.
Trade network across South Sudanese marketplaces
Trade Network across South Sudanese Marketplaces (2019–2025)
Average monthly aid beneficiaries by county in South Sudan
Average Monthly Aid Beneficiaries in South Sudan, % of County Population, 2021–2025
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In Progress
Informality among Formal Firms in Zambia
Do formal firms operate informally, and why? I study the rollout of electronic invoicing in Zambia during a period of daily power shortages to understand how firms navigate formality when public infrastructure fails.
Beauty salon without electricity during loadshedding
A beauty salon operating without electricity during loadshedding in Lusaka, Zambia
Smart Invoice billboard ad in Lusaka, Zambia
A Smart Invoice ad by Zambia Revenue Authority in Lusaka
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In Progress
Policy Contributions 2 +−
E-invoicing adoption under loadshedding in Zambia
with S. Jackson - IGC Policy Brief, 2025
IGC Brief ↗
Since 2024, all Zambian firms must use electronic invoices for VAT reporting. Based on interviews with 61 firms, we study how daily loadshedding disrupts adoption: firms unable to issue smart invoices lose formal customers and revert to informal trade, even as high awareness and compliance efforts by the Zambia Revenue Authority promise long-term gains in tax revenue.
Map of surveyed firms in Lusaka
Locations of 61 surveyed firms across Lusaka, Zambia
Smart Invoice adoption funnel
Smart Invoice adoption funnel: from 61 surveyed firms, 22 actively use the system
Formal trade decline under loadshedding
54% of Smart Invoice users lost formal customers due to loadshedding - back-up power proved too unreliable to help
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Policy Brief
Trade Finance in West Africa
IFC–WTO - Policy Report, 2022
Report ↗
A joint IFC–WTO study surveying banks across Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal to assess trade finance gaps and estimate the potential boost to trade from closing them.
Projected trade cost reductions in ECOWAS
Expanding trade finance coverage could raise ECOWAS merchandise trade by 8–16%, with the strongest boost to intra-regional flows
Policy Report
Pre-Doctoral Working Paper 1 +−
A Novel Framework to Evaluate Changes in Access and Costs of Trade Finance
with M. Auboin and E. Bekkers - WTO Working Paper, 2023
WTO Paper ↗
We develop a CGE framework to evaluate how changes in trade finance conditions affect trade flows.
Working Paper

Teaching

2025 –
Teaching Assistant - Statistics, Economics of Energy Transition (MA)
Geneva Graduate Institute
2018 – 2019
Teaching Assistant - Macroeconomics I, Microeconomics I (BSc)
University of Lausanne (HEC)
Workshops and Training
2026
Claude Code and Agentic Coding for Economic Research
UNU-WIDER, Helsinki
2025
Grant Writing in Economics
IGC Research Methodology Workshop, Lusaka
Current students Book Office Hours ↗

Get in Touch

I'm happy to discuss research, potential collaborations, or anything else. The best way to reach me is by email.

✉ dario.dequarti@graduateinstitute.ch

Research Life

Beyond Research

In my free time, I enjoy refereeing football. I officiated at the national level in France until 2025, and I now referee in Switzerland.