My research focuses on the macroeconomics of long-run growth and economic development. I study the deep historical drivers of economic transformation, including how culture shapes the production of ideas, how the evolution of human traits such as patience affects interest rates and growth, and how structural transformation and natural resources influence the development paths of nations.

Research Interests
  • Long-Run Economic Growth: Deep roots of development and centuries-long macroeconomic trends.
  • Macro Development & Historical Economics: The demographic transition, human capital, and the evolution of traits.
  • Structural Transformation & Natural Resources: How energy, resources, and sectoral shifts influence the wealth of nations.
Selected Papers
  • Cultural Capital and the Productivity of Ideas: Evidence from Historical Texts
    Working Paper, July 2026.  |  [PDF]  |  [App]
  • Selection, Patience, and the Interest Rate (with A. Trew)
    Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics, 2024.  |  [PDF]
  • Extracting Wedges: Misallocation and Taxation in the Oil Industry (with Ahlvik et al.)
    Working Paper, June 2025.  |  [PDF]
  • Boom Goes the Price: Giant Resource Discoveries and Real Exchange Rate Appreciation (with T. Harding, G. Toews)
    Economic Journal, 2020.  |  [PDF]
Contact Information
Office: G1W Castlecliffe
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0) 1334 462451
Website: http://radekstefanski.weebly.com
Office Hours
Mailing Address
School of Economics and Finance
Castlecliffe, The Scores
University of St Andrews
Fife, KY16 9AR
United Kingdom