My academic inquiries and intellectual pursuits are driven by a curiosity to engage with and interrogate issues that captivate my thoughts and concern me on a personal and professional level. This approach has led me down different paths—some less travelled, others well-trodden.
My work is a testament to the belief that intellectual growth and societal contribution do not solely arise from depth in a narrow domain of inquiry but can also flourish through breadth and the integration of diverse perspectives.
While my research often utilizes quantitative analysis, I also maintain a keen interest in qualitative and mixed-method approaches. Some of my main research areas of interest include economic inequality (with a spotlight on labour market inequalities and discrimination experienced by women, immigrants, and ethnic minorities); precarity in the labour market; public attitudes toward immigration and the forces shaping these views; the influence of ideological underpinnings in neoclassical economics; and the broader scope of political economy.
- Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Working Papers
- Work in Progress
- Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Media Coverage/Interviews
- “Who Said or What Said? Estimating Ideological Bias in Views Among Economists,” with Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London), 2023, Cambridge Journal of Economics.
- “Visible Minorities and Job Mobility: Evidence from a Workplace Panel Survey,” 2020, Journal of Economic Inequality, 18(4):491-524.
- “Not for the profit, but for the training? Gender differences in training in the for-profit and non-profit sectors,” with Benoit Dostie (HEC Montréal), 2020, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 58(3):644-689.
- “Canadian Immigrants and Training Opportunities: Evidence from Canadian Linked Employer-Employee Data,” with Benoit Dostie (HEC Montréal), 2020, Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 59(2):275-315.
- “Public Attitudes Toward Immigration — Determinants and Unknowns,” 2020, IZA World of Labor, 473 doi: 10.15185/izawol.473.
- “Job Satisfaction and Coworker Pay in Canadian Firms,” with Brian Krauth (SFU), 2020, Canadian Journal of Economics, 53(1), 212-248.
- “Moving Up or Falling Behind? Gender, Promotions, and Wages in Canada,” with Andrew McGee (U of Alberta), 2019, Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 58(2):189-228.
- “Labour Market Mobility and Early-Career Outcomes of Young Immigrant Men,” With Andrew McGee (U of Alberta), 2018, IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 8(1):20.
- “Noise or News? Learning About the Content of Test-Based School Achievement Measures,” 2015, B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 15(3): 1417-1453.
- “Glass Ceilings or Glass Doors? The Role of Firms in Male-Female Wage Disparities,” 2015, Canadian Journal of Economics, 48(2): 529-560.
- “Fiscal Transfers to Immigrants in Canada,” with Krishna Pendakur (SFU), 2014, Journal of International Migration and Integration, 15(4):777-797.
- “How Do School ‘Report Cards’ Affect School Choice Decisions?” with Jane Friesen, Justin Smith and Simon Woodcock, 2012, Canadian Journal of Economics, 45(2): 784-807.
- “Public Attitudes Towards Immigration in Canada: Decreased Support and Increased Political Polarization,” with Mehdi Mohamadian and Maxime Heroux-Legault (under review).v
- “Attitudes Toward Immigration in Canada: The Role of the Economy, Ethnicity, Partisanship, Media, and Contact with Visible Minorities,” with Mehdi Mohamadian and Maxime Heroux-Legault.
- “Understanding Precarity in BC – Evidence from a Survey,” with Iglika Ivanova and Kendra Strauss.
- “Political Orientation and Views Among Economists: Evidence from a Survey,” with Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London).
- “Bias in Views Among Economics Students – Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Experiment,” with Ha-Joon Chang (Cambridge).
- “Like Teacher, Like Student – How Bias Among Faculty Members in Economics Affects Students?” with Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London).
- “Ideology Needs Company – Does Similarity Induce Conformity?” with Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London).
- “Surveying Views Among Economists,” with Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London).
- “Neoclassical Economics and Ideological Bias,” Ha-Joon Chang & Mohsen Javdani, Progressive Economy Forum, September 11, 2019.
- “Ideology is Dead! Long Live Ideology!” Mohsen Javdani & Ha-Joon Chang, Institute for New Economic Thinking, August 12, 2019 [this article was also re-published by Brave New Europe, Naked Capitalism, Evonomics, Marginal Revolution].
- “The Way to Fix Bias in Economics is to Recruit More Women,” Mohsen Javdani, Opinion Editorial, The Financial Times, February 26, 2019.
- “Immigrants and the Canadian Economy,” with David Jacks and Krishna Pendakur (SFU), Metropolis British Columbia Capstone Report, August 2012.
- “The Effect of the Career Transition Assistance (CTA) Initiative on the Timing of Training Participation and the Duration of Training,” with Simon Woodcock (SFU), Prepared for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), January 2013.
- “The Effect of Chinese FDI in BC and other Jurisdictions,” Prepared for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and BC Ministry of International Trade, February 2014.
- “How well is Canada’s program for Iranian temporary residents working?” Hamid Jafari, North Shore News, March 20, 2024 [also featured In New Westminister Record, Business in Vancouver, Times Colonist]
- “‘Cautiously optimistic’: Immigrant drivers rate B.C. plan to protect gig workers,” Hamid Jafari, New Canadian Media, December 8, 2023.
- “The Dangerous Ideological Bias of Economists,” Interview with Institute for New Economic Thinking, June 24, 2020.
- “Why We Need More Women in Economics,” Isabella Craddock, The Bubble, November 23, 2019.
- “O peso da ideologia – The Weight of Ideology,” Cyro Andrade, Valor Economico (leading financial newspaper in Brazil), September 20, 2019.
- “Marx ou Adam Smith? Experimento mostra viés ideológico dos economistas,” Ligia Tuon, Exame (popular Brazilian magazine), August 18, 2019.
- “Les économistes pris en flagrant délit d’idéologie,” Christian Chavagneu, Alternatives Economiques (popular French magazine), N 390 – 05/2019. [English Translation]
- “Can welfare societies survive mass migration?,” Vancouver Sun, March 17, 2016.
- “How immigrants affect the economy: Weighing the benefits and costs,” The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2012.
- “A team of B.C. economists has cut a conservative think-tank’s estimate of the cost of immigration down to size,” CTV News Vancouver, July 26, 2011.
- “Burnaby economists dispute Fraser Institute’s immigration cost numbers,” Burnaby Now, July 26, 2011.