We are delighted to announce Giulia Mascagni will be ICTD’s new Executive Director from 1st July 2024. Mascagni is taking over from Wilson Prichard, who has served as Executive Director since May 2020, after having served as founding Research Director of the ICTD from 2010-2020.
Mascagni joined ICTD in 2014 and has served as Research Director from 2016. She is an economist by training, holding a PhD in Economics from the University of Sussex. Mascagni leads ICTD’s work on tax administration and compliance and has been instrumental in driving our work on gender and tax. She has extensive experience working with revenue authorities on the African continent, and much of her research so far has focused on Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Mascagni said, “The ICTD has a wonderful team and a transformative programme of practical, collaborative, and impactful research. This work is more important than ever to support lower-income countries raise adequate financing for development in a way that also promotes equity and accountability. I am honoured by the opportunity to lead the ICTD into an exciting new chapter, and I am very grateful to Will for his great service as ED.
In Focus Interview with Giulia Mascagni
Wilson Prichard remains a core member of ICTD and LoGRI
Prichard will remain a core member of the ICTD, refocusing his attention on research, engagement and reform support.
He will continue to lead the Local Government Revenue Initiative, which has expanded substantially in recent years, while also contributing actively to broader ICTD work, including projects related to digitalisation, taxing the wealthy, the politics of tax reform and taxation of the informal sector.
Reflecting on the move, Prichard said “This is an enormously exciting time for the ICTD. It has a stronger team, network of partners and global reach than at any time in our history. And in Giulia we have the ideal successor as Executive Director: a research leader in our field, a trusted partner of tax authorities, a respected voice in policy debates and a longstanding leader within the ICTD.”
He added, “With the centre in such a strong position this is the perfect time to pass the leadership baton, in order to re-focus on research and to drawing on ICTD research to work with partners on the design of effective, equitable and accountable reform programs.”
A selection of key publications by Giulia Mascagni
Giulia has written and co-written over 50 publications drawing on her ICTD research. Here is a selection of papers, journal articles and policy briefings which capture some of this output:
- Digital IDs and Digital Payments – Opportunities and Challenges for Tax Administration ICTD Policy Briefing (2024) with Fabrizio Santoro and Wilson Prichard
- Does the Value-Added Tax Add Value? Lessons Using Administrative Data from a Diverse Set of Countries – Journal of Economic Perspectives (2024) with Anne Brockmeyer, Vedanth Nair, Mazhar Waseem, Miguel Almunia
- Getting Targets Right: How Much Revenue can Lower-Income Countries Raise? ICTD Policy Briefing (2024) with Max Gallien and Adrienne Lees
- Teach to comply? Evidence from a taxpayer education program in Rwanda, International Tax and Public Finance (2024) with Fabrizio Santoro and Denis Mukuma.
- Towards Gender Equality in Tax and Fiscal Systems: Moving Beyond the Implicit-Explicit Bias Framework ICTD Policy Briefing (2024) with Caren Brown
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The Tax Side of the Pandemic: Shifts in Compliance Attitudes and Perceptions in Rwanda, Journal of Development Studies (2023) with Fabrizio Santoro. Working Paper version | Policy Brief
- Active Ghosts: Nil-filing in Rwanda World Development (2022) with Fabrizio Santoro, Denis Mukama, John Karangwa and Naphtal Hakizimana.
Working Paper Version | Policy Brief | Related research - Visual nudges: How deterrence and equity shape tax attitudes and behaviour in Rwanda – Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (2023) with Fabrizio Santoro
- Why Mass Tax Registration Campaigns Do Not Work ICTD Policy Briefing (2023) with Max Gallien, Mick Moore, Giovanni Occhiali, Wilson Prichard, Fabrizio Santoro, Celeste Scarpini and Vanessa van den Boogaard
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The VAT in practice: equity, enforcement, and complexity, International Tax and Public Finance (2022) with Roel Dom, Fabrizio Santoro, Denis Mukama. Related working papers 1 and 2 | Policy Brief
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Trade Tax Evasion and the Tax Rate: Evidence from Transaction-Level Trade Data, Journal of African Economies, 2021, with Andualem T. Mengistu and Kiflu G. Molla. Working Paper version | Policy brief
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Can ICTs increase tax? Evidence on taxpayer responses to technological innovation in Ethiopia, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (2021) with Andualem T. Mengistu and Firew B. Woldeyes. Working Paper version | Policy brief | VoxDev article
- What is the Role of Taxpayer Education in Africa? African Tax Administration Paper
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Tax compliance in Rwanda: Evidence from a message field experiment, Economic Development and Cultural Change (2022) with Christopher Nell. Media coverage from The New Times | Working Paper version | Policy brief
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Linking taxation and social protection: Evidence on redistribution and poverty reduction in Ethiopia, International Social Security Review, 2018, with Kalle Hirvonen and Keetie Roelen. Working Paper version
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Effective tax rates and firm size in Ethiopia, Development Policy Review, 2019, with Andualem T. Mengistu. Media coverage from The Economist | Working Paper version | Policy brief
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From the Lab to the Field: A Review of Tax Experiments, Journal of Economic Surveys, 2018, Working Paper version
- Tax Revenue Mobilisation In Developing Countries: Issues and Challenges European Parliament DG for External Policies of the Union
