
How can we design institutions to establish the rule of law in society? Political Econ & Development; some econ history. Prof. @NES_Moscow.
Moscow
Joined September 2012
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Strategic sovereignty, social movements, and political agency: Evidence from the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran
Sultan Mehmood @ProfSultanEcon @NES_Moscow, Yaroslav Prokhorskoy @essec, Leonard Wantchekon @lwantchekon @PrincetonEcon
ow.ly/2lCY50ZUlR0
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
🇵🇰 #Pakistan: I urge the @GovtofPakistan to immediately release human rights lawyers Adv @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiali and drop the unfounded criminal and terrorism charges against them. Anti-terrorism laws must not be used to punish legitimate human rights work or intimidate lawyers.
Read the full press release from me, @profbensaul, @AndreaBV_SR_HRD and @Ginitastar: ohchr.org/en/press-releases/…
(1/2)
1/ This X post by Mike Pompeo captures the bigger question behind our new NBER paper, Strategic sovereignty:
Who owns political change — and what happens when an outside power visibly takes sides in a domestic struggle?
3/ Rhetoric moves with it.
U.S. and Israeli statements increasingly align themselves with the opposition, while Iranian officials portray dissent as foreign-backed and traitorous.
That changes the political meaning of joining the opposition.
4/ We call this *strategic sovereignty*: foreign intervention can impose military costs while also changing domestic legitimacy and political incentives.
Our new NBER paper with the fantastic coauthors Y. Prokhorskoy and Leonard Wantchekon @lwantchekon: nber.org/papers/w35734
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
Reacting to the re-arrest of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha just hours after they had been granted bail by the Supreme Court yesterday, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said:
"Imaan and Hadi's re-arrest dispels any pretence that the charges against them are anything other than a politically motivated attempt to punish them for their human rights work. Their case demonstrates once again the authorities’ willingness to weaponize the legal system against critical voices.
“These latest charges, brought against them for simply attending a peaceful protest, are not only absurd but an insult to their lifelong commitment to human rights.
“The Pakistani authorities must stop misusing the justice system to target Imaan and Hadi. They must be released immediately and unconditionally, with no further charges to prolong their detention. Imaan and Hadi should be free to meet their friends and family and to do the work they love – representing victims of human rights violations."
Read here: amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2…
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
🇵🇰#Pakistan: Concerning news that human rights lawyers Adv @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiali were detained again only hours after the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended their sentences and ordered their release on bail after nearly eight months of incarceration. 1/4
Can foreign attacks strengthen the regime they seek to weaken? Presenting empirical evidence that the 2026 US–Israeli strikes reduced anti-regime protest and boosted pro-regime mobilization, from @ProfSultanEcon, @lwantchekon, and Yaroslav Prokhorskoy nber.org/papers/w35734
🆕 Can digitising courts speed up justice without cutting corners?
Today on VoxDev, Sultan Mehmood (@NES_Moscow), @resuf_ahmed (@StanfordKingCtr) & Aleksandra Filimonova (@Unibocconi) discuss research on Indonesia: voxdev.org/topic/institution…
"First large-scale trial of AI in judiciary finds 6.3 percent speed-up, fewer appeals* via @IEEESpectrum
Full article: lnkd.in/eb87jk8m
Thanks so much, @davidautor, for your comments on this!
This AI tool helped Pakistani judges clear cases more than 6% faster spectrum.ieee.org/judgegpt-e…
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
Important new empirical study of Gen AI use in Pakistan’s courts—by @ellliottt and @ProfSultanEcon
What happens when you roll out custom generative AI to half a country's judges?
New paper on Pakistan's courts with @ProfSultanEcon and @gochristoph.
In line with wemustactnow.ai -- we provide early empirical evidence on the impacts of transformative generative AI.
🆕 The birth of Bangladesh: How the Bhola cyclone fostered revolution 📢
Today on Economics Unpacked, Mushfiq Mobarak (@YaleSOM @YaleEconomics) explores the role of the 1970 Bhola cyclone in shaping Bangladesh's independence: youtube.com/watch?v=r03MPtwo…
New CEPR Discussion Paper - DP21783
Courts of Tomorrow: Evidence from a Nationwide Rollout of Generative AI
Sultan Mehmood @ProfSultanEcon @NES_Moscow, Christoph Goessmann @gochristoph @imperialcollege, Elliott Ash @ellliottt @ETH @ETH_en @eth_cle
ow.ly/jh8n50ZsiKc
#CEPR_DE #CEPR_LE #CEPR_OE #CEPR_PE #EconTwitter
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
Replying to @nberpubs
@nberpubs presentation of our paper "Courts of Tomorrow: Evidence from a Nationwide Rollout of Generative AI" by @ProfSultanEcon!
What happens when you roll out custom generative AI to half a country's judges?
New paper on Pakistan's courts with @ProfSultanEcon and @gochristoph.
In line with wemustactnow.ai -- we provide early empirical evidence on the impacts of transformative generative AI.
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
What happens when you roll out custom generative AI to half a country's judges?
New paper on Pakistan's courts with @ProfSultanEcon and @gochristoph.
In line with wemustactnow.ai -- we provide early empirical evidence on the impacts of transformative generative AI.
Sultan Mehmood retweeted
1/ Our draft is finally ready to share: “Courts of Tomorrow”
With @ellliottt and @gochristoph, we study a nationwide rollout of generative AI in Pakistan’s judiciary: how judges adopt and use it, and whether it changes productivity and decision quality.
conference.nber.org/conf_pap…
1/ Our draft is finally ready to share: “Courts of Tomorrow”
With @ellliottt and @gochristoph, we study a nationwide rollout of generative AI in Pakistan’s judiciary: how judges adopt and use it, and whether it changes productivity and decision quality.
conference.nber.org/conf_pap…
7/ The broader lesson: implementation matters.
In public institutions, targeted training may determine whether AI is unused, poorly used, or productivity-enhancing.
Presenting Thursday at the NBER SI organized by @erikbryn and @avicgoldfarb. Comments appreciated. Come by and say hi if you're around Boston next week!
Full draft here: conference.nber.org/conf_pap…

















