Published on October 2, 2025 – Updated on October 2, 2025

The Department of Economics of the Gothenburg University welcomes Melchior Clerc to work with his members on traditional practices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Melchior Clerc is hosted by the Department of Economics of the University of Gothenburg for a research stay.  He will specifically work with Annika Lindskog, Heather Congdon Fors, and Ann-Sofie Isaksson, with whom he shares common research interests. This is a great opportunity for him to put the finishing touches to his Job Market Paper and connect with researchers working in the field of development economics.  

Melchior is a PhD candidate at the Université Clermont Auvergne and the CERDI. He studies the determinants and economic implications of the composition of households in developing countries under the supervision of Simone Bertoli (UCA, CERDI). In essence, he studies the family lives of migrants, including those whose closest family members remain in their home country. He also investigates the questions of norms and culture. He looks into the persistence of Female Genital Mutilation and how some parents try to avoid this from happening to their daughters by migrating with them or sending them to live with a foster family. Finally, Melchior developed a special interest in methodological issues and reproducibility of research after taking part in the Replication Game in Lyon in 2023.  

Melchior is also involved in a network of international economists. He assists in organizing the Junior Migration Seminars, a webinar series that keeps the dialogue going on international migrations since 2020.  

Check out his website