Vitor Melo
Regulatory Policy Fellow
Vitor Melo, PhD, is a Regulatory Policy Fellow at the Archbridge Institute and host of the institute’s “The Cause and Effect Podcast.” His research examines the effects of labor and healthcare regulations, the political economy of government policies, and the causes of discrimination across a range of contexts. He draws on price theory, field experiments, and causal inference methods to address policy-relevant questions, and he brings substantial experience translating academic findings into practical policy analysis. His work has been published in journals including the Journal of Law & Economics, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Public Choice, and Southern Economic Journal. His research has also been featured by popular media outlets such as Fox News, The Hill, Reason, The Daily Wire, and The Center Square, among others. He launched “The Cause and Effect Podcast” in 2025, a growing multimedia channel that translates complex research into digestible discussions and real-world applications.
Dr. Melo received his Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University. His research and policy experience includes appointments with RAND, the Knee Regulatory Research Center, the University of Chicago’s Initiative on Enabling Choice and Competition in Healthcare, the Mercatus Center’s Open Health Project, and the Independent Institute. He played basketball in college and for the Brazilian national team before moving to the U.S. In his free time, he likes to play sports with friends and watch movies with his family.
