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About

About Me

Zehra Farooq

5th year PhD Economics Candidate

Hi, my name is Zehra Farooq and I am a PhD Economics candidate at Tulane University.  I am currently working as an RA for the CEQ(Commitment to Equity) Institute. I will be on the job market in November, 2025. 

Before winning the Fulbright award for my PhD and coming to the US, I was serving the ministry of Finance in Pakistan as a corporate-sector tax administrator. It was the glaring divergence between policy decisions and academic empirical evidence on tax policy, vis-à-vis its impact on inequality, that led to me to pursue a PhD. I am resolute in my belief that by connecting the decision-making process of fiscal policy to context-specific empirical evidence in countries, we can enhance its impact on the end goal of lowering inequality. After graduating, I aim to embody this connection by utilizing my expertise to impact the policy making process through my work.

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  • Nationality:Pakistan
  • Study:Tulane University
  • Degree:PhD Econ. (ongoing)
  • Interests:Ask me in person
  • Consulting:Available

Programming Skills

STATA95%
R50%
Python25%

Language Skills

English100%
Urdu100%
Spanish35%

Education

  • 2019 - Now

    Tulane University

    PhD Economics
  • 2015 - 2017

    National Defense University

    MPhil Public Policy
  • 2005 - 2008

    Punjab University

    MBA Finance

Experience

  • 2019 - Now

    Tulane University

    PhD Candidate
  • Fall 2022 - Now

    CEQI

    Research Assistant
  • 2012 - 2019

    IRS - Pakistan

    Deputy Commissioner - (on study leave)