Research in Progress

Overcoming constraints to female labor force entry with Hamna Ahmed (Lahore School of Economics), Mahreen Mahmud (University of Oxford) and Zunia Tirmazee (Lahore School of Economics).

This research is funded by GLM and PEDL. We use a RCT to test for psychological factors constraining labor force participation decisions made by final-year students in women-only colleges in Lahore, Pakistan. (AEA RCT Registry, Policy paper, Media coverage, Policy brief)

Electricity reliability and small business performance with Jacopo Bonan (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei), Giovanna d'Adda (University of Milan) and Simon Quinn (University of Oxford).

This research is funded by IGC and PEDL, and will be conducted in collaboration with Karachi Electric (KE). We use a unique setting to assess the impact of energy provision on business-related outcomes for a representative sample of micro-business activities. Our sample is made of customers of K-Electric (KE) with commercial energy provision contracts. We focus on small businesses, who do not operate out of `industrial' zones that may have special electricity provision or rates.

Educate the Girls: Long run effects of a secondary schooling for girls with Tareena Musaddiq (University of Michigan).

This research explores the long run effects of a conditional cash transfer designed to encourage girls enrolment in secondary schooling in Pakistan. We use survey data and quasi-experimental methods to establish causal, short and long-term impacts of secondary schooling for girls.

Education equity and quality in Afghanistan and Pakistan (EEQAP): From evidence to policy and practice with Jean-Francois Trani (University of Washington in St Louis), Peter Hovmand (University of Washington in St Louis), Parul Bakhshi (University of Washington in St Louis), Juanita Vasquez-Escallon (UNICEF), Sheretta Barnes (University of Washington in St Louis), Nidhi Singal (University of Cambridge), Amin Mayel (Swedish Committee for Afghanistan), Maryiam Haroon (Lahore School of Economics) and Muhammad Tahir Waqar (NRSP)

Children face many barriers to enrolling in and completing primary education particularly in Low Income Countries (LICs). When they do manage to enrol in schools, many vulnerable children do not learn at par with peers: across the central and southern Asia region, it is predicted that 81% of children and adolescents (241 million) will not reach minimum proficiency in reading. This research implements and evaluates a social accountability intervention to improve student learning. We test if parents, students and community members can be engaged in improving the quality of education through innovative social accountability mechanisms, combined with inclusive education training in schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This study is funded by the ESRC. (Project website)