Sher Afghan Asad is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research examines why markets and states often underperform together in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on how weak enforcement, information frictions, and competitive pressures shape both market outcomes and state capacity. Using field experiments and administrative data, he studies how these dynamics affect tax compliance, firm behavior, and market performance—and how better institutional design can help align private incentives with public goals.

Building on this agenda, his work evaluates a range of institutional, behavioral, and technological reforms, including consumer monitoring schemes, digital enforcement systems, and algorithmic property valuation, often in close collaboration with government organizations. He also studies how social norms and identity interact with market institutions, shaping discrimination and participation in labor and digital markets, including the examination of gender dynamics in online marketplaces. His research has been published in the Journal of Development Economics and the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.