Obeid Ur Rehman
Assistant Professor
Toronto Metropolitan University
Development Economics · Public Finance · Labor Economics
Assistant Professor
Toronto Metropolitan University
Development Economics · Public Finance · Labor Economics
I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University).
My research lies at the intersection of development economics, public finance, and labor economics.
I study how information, institutions, and social relationships shape economic decision-making, with applications to migration, taxation, and intergroup relations. I also work on fiscal incidence and inequality, with a particular focus on developing economies.
I received my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan and my Masters in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University as a Fulbright scholar.
The Sources of Researcher Variation in Economics
(with Nick Huntington-Klien, Claus Pörtner and The Many Economists Collaborative on Researcher Variation)
Forthcoming. Journal of Economic Literature | Feb 2025 | NBER | SSRN
A many-analyst experiment shows how researchers’ choices generate substantial variation in empirical estimates, even when teams answer the same question using the same data.
Spousal Communication & Information Sharing: Evidence from Migrants and their Spouses
Journal of Development Economics, 2023, 165 | pdf | published
Spouses staying behind underreport their income when it is observable to migrants. These reporting patterns are consistent with a theory of strategic misreporting to influence migrant remittances.
How Do Taxpayers Respond to Public Disclosure and Social Recognition Programs? Evidence from Pakistan
(with Joel Slemrod and Mazhar Waseem)
The Review of Economics & Statistics, 2022, 104 (1) | NBER | pdf | published
media: vox -eu, live mint, vox-dev, bloomberg opinion
The public disclosure of tax information increases the tax paid by individuals exposed to the program. The increase is even larger for the social recognition program.
Shoulder to Shoulder: Religious Leadership and Intergroup Exposure in Pakistani Mosques
(with Zain Chaudhry and Karrar Hussain) | Aug 2026
Can religious leadership shape responses to intergroup exposure? In a field experiment across 23 Sunni mosques in Pakistan, we cross-randomize exposure to Shia worshippers and a unity message from the imam. Combining exposure with leadership increased demand for a Shia plumber and improved perceptions of Shias, while leadership also prevented the backlash against Shia religious books observed among some participants exposed to Shia worshippers alone.
Understanding Federal Sales Tax Expenditures in Pakistan
(with Sher Afghan Asad, and Manaal Mohsin Khwaja)
IGC Report, September 2023 | pdf
Analysis of federal sales tax expenditures in Pakistan, exploring historical trends in statutory changes and offering insights about their rationalization.
Improving Progressivity and Efficiency: A Review of the Personal Income Tax and other Taxes on Labor in Kazakhstan
(with Wei Shei)
IMF Country Report, Republic of Kazakhstan - Selected Issues, December 2019 | pdf
A review of taxes on labor in Kazakhstan, which, despite the current relatively-low level of collections, have the potential to become an important source of non-oil fiscal revenue.
Tax Burden Across the Income Distribution - Evidence from Pakistan
Incidence of Tax Expenditures - Evidence from the Agriculture Sector in Pakistan
Online vs. In-person Learning: Canadian Evidence
International Student Demand for Higher Education in the U.S.
Student Instructor Mentor | Graduate | Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Econ 101: Principles of Microeconomics | Fall 2015, 2016; Winter 2016, 2017
Econ 102: Introduction to Macroeconomics | Winter 2020, 2021; Fall 2020
PUBP 605: Stat & Data Analysis I | Fall 2011
PUBP 606: Stat & Data Analysis II | Spring 2012