Biography
I am a Research Assistant Professor (Chargé de Recherche) at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) based at Paris Dauphine University. I am also a CAGE Research Associate and an Associated Researcher at INED.
My research interests are economic history and development economics. My research focuses on understanding the long-run processes of economic development, cultural and political change. I am more specifically interested in education policies, nation and state building in developing countries, especially in Africa. I am also interested in social mobility and internal migration. My work often involves the creation of novel large datasets from historical archives or the precise geolocation of administrative data, and the study of historical shocks or "natural experiments".
Publications
Articles
DUPRAZ Y., Simson R. (2024), Elite persistence in Sierra Leone: What can names tell us?, Journal of Development Economics, vol. 171, n°103333 
DUPRAZ Y., Ferrara A. (2024), Fatherless: The Long-Term Effects of Losing a Father in the U.S. Civil War, The Journal of Human Resources, vol. 59, n°6, p. 0122-12118R2
André P., DUPRAZ Y. (2023), Education and Polygamy: Evidence from Cameroon, Journal of Development Economics, vol. 162, p. 1-20
Bekkouche Y., DUPRAZ Y. (2023), Colonial Origins and Quality of Education: Evidence from Cameroon, World Development, vol. 170, p. 1-21
Cogneau D., DUPRAZ Y., Mesplé-Somps S. (2021), Fiscal Capacity and Dualism in Colonial States: The French Empire 1830-1962, The Journal of Economic History, vol. 81, n°2, p. 441-480
DUPRAZ Y. (2019), French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: Evidence from the Partition of Cameroon, The Journal of Economic History, vol. 79, n°3, p. 628-668
Cogneau D., DUPRAZ Y. (2015), Institutions historiques et développement économique en Afrique. Une revue sélective et critique de travaux récents, Histoire et mesure, vol. 30, n°1, p. 103-134
Prépublications / Cahiers de recherche
Cogneau D., DUPRAZ Y., Huillery É., Mesplé-Somps S. (2024), Colonialism on the Cheap: The French Empire 1830-1962, Paris, Preprints LEDa, 55 p.
Cogneau D., Dupraz Y., Knebelmann J., Mesplé-Somps S. (2021), Taxation in Africa from Colonial Times to Present Evidence from former French colonies 1900-2018, PSE Working Papers, 67 p.
Cogneau D., Dupraz Y. (2015), Institutions historiques et développement économique en Afrique. Une revue sélective et critique de travaux récents, Paris, Université Paris-Dauphine, 24 p.
Rapports
Cogneau D., Dupraz Y., Mesplé-Somps S. (2018), African states and development in historical perspective: Colonial public finances in British and French West., PSE Working Papers, n°2018-29 p.
Cogneau D., Dupraz Y., Mesplé-Somps S. (2018), Fiscal Capacity and Dualism in Colonial States: The French Empire 1830-1962., PSE Working Papers, n°2018-27 p.