Mohamed Saleh

Professor, London School of Economics (LSE)

Mohamed Saleh is a Professor of Economic History at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is also Research Affiliate in Economic History at Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Long-Term Visitor at Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Faculty Fellow at Association for Analytic Learning about Islam and Muslim Societies (AALIMS), and Research Fellow at Economic Research Forum (ERF). Prior to joining LSE in 2022, Professor Saleh was at Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), France, first as an Assistant Professor of Economics from 2012 to 2018, then as a Professor of Economics from 2019 to 2022. Professor Saleh obtained his PhD in Economics from University of Southern California in 2012. Professor Saleh's primary fields of interest lie at the intersection of Economic History, Political Economy, and Development Economics. He has been interested in two main themes of research. The first theme is the Economic History of Identity, and in particular how fiscal policy impacts the formation of ethno-religious groups, their socioeconomic outcomes, and their narratives in the Middle East and North Africa, via tax-induced conversions. The second theme is Historical Political Economy, and in particular, coercion of labor, land inequality, and historical roots of political authoritarianism in the region. Professor Saleh's research has been published in leading Economics, Political Science, and Economic History journals, such as Econometrica, American Political Science Review, Journal of Economic History, Journal of Development Economics, Explorations in Economic History, and Economic History Review. He was awarded the Economic History Association’s Arthur H. Cole Prize for the best article in Journal of Economic History in 2017-2018, Best Paper Awards from the American Political Science Association in 2021 and 2022, and British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship in 2024-2025.