Publications

"Weathering the Ride: Experimental Evidence on Transport Pricing, Climate Extremes, and Future Travel Demand" (with Peter Christensen and Adam Osman), Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2024, 125:102978. [Paper]

Abstract: The future of travel will be characterized by changes in weather patterns and changes in transportation technology. How will these forces interact? We explore this question by utilizing a unique randomized experiment with Uber riders in Cairo, Egypt. We consider how very hot days (>35◦C/95◦F) affect transportation choices, how a sizeable price decrease (simulating a future with autonomous vehicles and access to cheaper transportation) changes travel, and how extreme weather interacts with these choices. We find that while travel will increase significantly in response to the price decrease, extreme weather dampens this effect by 26%. Individuals receiving subsidies also shift away from public transportation modes and towards private transportation modes, except when the public transit option is air-conditioned. These results provide important insights for policymakers when considering optimal travel policy for the future. 

Working Papers

Job Market Paper: "Understanding Child Marriage:  Theory and Evidence for Boys and Girls." [Working Paper]

Abstract: This paper examines how child marriage rates for both boys and girls respond to exogenous shocks to rainfall, temperatures, and conflict. I develop a theoretical household bargaining model, which predicts that negative shocks to income or to child marriage preferences reduce child marriage rates. Using individual-level data from India, Indonesia, and Nepal, I empirically estimate the effects of shocks on child marriage. Low rainfall and high temperatures, which reduce income, decrease the annual probability of child marriage for boys and girls by 1-8%. Exposure to conflict, which increases the risk of experiencing conflict-related violence, decreases child marriage for boys and increases it for girls by up to 30% and 3%, respectively. Effects are similar regardless of the child's age, spousal age gap, or direction of the marriage transfer. These findings suggest a perverse relationship between income and child marriage, which is relevant for policymakers seeking to simultaneously reduce child marriage and poverty.

"Long-Lasting Effects of Exposure to Bible Translations:  Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa" (with Vinicius Okada Da Silva, M. Noelia Romero, and Rebecca Thornton). [Working Paper, July 2024]

Abstract: This paper evaluates the impact of early life exposure to mother-tongue Bible translations in the 1980s on adult educational outcomes. We analyze data from a sample of approximately 75,000 adults in the Demographic and Health Surveys in 13 sub-Saharan African countries. Our difference-in-differences strategy compares educational outcomes within and across ethno-linguistic groups and accounts for the differential timing of Bible translations and trends in outcomes over time. Individuals born ten years after the first-known Bible translation for their ethno-linguistic group have an 11 percentage point increase in the likelihood of being literate as adults, a gain of 1.2 years of education, and a 17 percentage point gain in the likelihood of completing primary school. Effects do not vary greatly by gender or by regional prevalence of Muslim faith. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying our results, finding evidence of the potential importance of complementarities with inputs concentrated around historical missions.

"Five Decades of Early Marriage in the Developing World" (with Robert Jensen, M. Noelia Romero, and Rebecca Thornton). [Working Paper, September 2023]  

Abstract: We document five decades of early marriage among women and men in 24 developing countries. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we examine trends in early marriage and the relationship between early marriage and women’s and men’s well-being, beliefs regarding domestic violence, women’s roles in the household, and views on women’s status. We find that rates of early marriage among women decreased from 40% to 30% on average from 1950 to 1995 and rates among men remained constant below 10%. Women and men who marry before 18 have less education and are younger at the birth of their first child. Women who marry before 18 report having less influence on household spending and decision-making and are more likely to view domestic and sexual violence as justified. Men who marry before 18 are more likely to justify perpetuating domestic violence. Both men and women who marry early are poorer, but there are no significant differences in working status by age of marriage.

Works in Progress

“Early Childhood Development: Cash Transfers, Information, and Parental Home Visits” (with Richard Akresh, Damien de Walque, and Harounan Kazianga).

Abstract: Cash transfers have become a critical part of developing country governments’ social safety nets. Recently, home visits programs are being implemented to help households overcome barriers to improving children’s development. Working with the Burkina Faso government, we conduct a randomized experiment in 225 rural villages to assess the impact of an integrated social safety net over the child’s life cycle. Villages were randomized to a control group or one of the following treatments: cash transfers only; cash transfers plus government-run information meetings focused on children’s health and psycho-social development; or cash transfers, information, and home visits reinforcing the information meetings. Households receiving the full intervention (cash, information, and home visits) have fewer pregnancies, more medically assisted childbirths, enhanced health behaviors, improved child anthropometrics, and better educational outcomes. Additionally, home visits are critical for improving early childhood development, while cash transfers, with or without information meetings, do not improve these outcomes.

"Maternity Benefits in India: Long-Run Impacts on Children's Education."

Abstract: Globally, many women in the informal sector are not eligible for traditional maternity benefits programs, and this could affect the health and later-life outcomes of their children. This paper investigates the impact of IGMSY, a unique maternity benefits program in India, on children's education later in life. The program was launched in 2011, piloted in 52 out of India's 640 districts, and provided cash transfers to women for their first and second live births regardless of employment status. Using a difference-in-differences approach across districts and cohorts, I find that the program increased school enrollment by 9 percentage points for the youngest cohorts (preschool-age children) but did not increase enrollment, reading, or math competency for older cohorts. The effects on enrollment are strongest for children from poorer households. This intervention likely had impacts on enrollment both through improving health-related outcomes and increasing income.