Taeho Kim
Assistant Professor, Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources
Kim is an assistant professor in applied microeconomics in the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Dartmouth College and his PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.
In his research, Kim focuses on workplace practices, criminal justice and labour markets. Recently, he has been studying the question of how to improve accountability and performance in police agencies.
“Police officers and government bureaucrats affect our society in important ways: through public safety, economic and community development and legitimacy of the government,” he says. “But it is harder than in the private sector to change the institution because incentive schemes for employees are limited. To initiate any reforms, we need a better understanding of the institution of the police — and our understanding is only nascent in this area. For example, in my job market paper, I investigate the effects of body cameras on law enforcement outcomes such as the use of force, policing capabilities and public perceptions toward the police.”
In other research projects, Kim is examining how promotion incentives affect police performance and behavior, and how gender diversity affects team performance. In an additional research stream, he is interested in inequalities in labour markets; for example, in one project Kim is examining negotiation skills and gender inequality in Thailand.