His research is concerned with the strategies politicians use in and out of office and about some of their economic and social consequences. He carries out field experiments, designs household surveys and uses large-scale datasets to test models of voter and politician behavior in developing countries. He has a particular interest in Southeast Asia and most of his fieldwork takes place in the Philippines. Julien completed his PhD in economics at the University of Oxford in 2013 and he holds Master degrees from the University of Oxford, University College London and ENSAE Paris Tech.