Dr Willem Sas is a lecturer in economics with the Division of Economics, University of Stirling. His research spans the fields of public economics, behavioural economics and political economy, with a specific focus on fiscal decentralisation and multi-level government. His research interests include:

 

• The strategic interaction between politicians in a multi-layered setting;

• New fiscal frameworks for the devolved UK nations (and multi-level governance in general);

• How devolved tax autonomy can hold local politicians responsible and accountable;

• How the regional ties of politicians can affect national elections, leading to strategic voting, bailouts, and local over-borrowing;

• The political economy of devolution;

• Coalition formation and the importance of group-based social preferences (such as peer approval and group belonging).