Sonia Laszlo

McGill University
Department of Economics
sonia dot laszlo at mcgill dot ca

Bio

I am Professor of Economics and Associate Dean, Research and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University, specializing in applied microeconomic analysis in economic development. My current research is primarily focused on the microeconomics of social policies and their effects on women and women's economic empowerment. My secondary research interest is centered on decision-making under uncertainty, namely concerning technology adoption among subsistence farmers. I have conducted research in Peru, Paraguay, Kenya and in the Caribbean, using laboratory experiments, surveys or randomized controlled trials. I am also member of the Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Organizations (CIRANO) and the Grupo de Analysis para el Desarrollo (GRADE). In 2005, I co‐founded and have since been an executive member of the Canadian Development Economics Study Group (CDESG), which groups both academic and policy development economists in Canada. I was Director of McGill's Institute for the Study of International Development between 2016 and 2019.

I also lead the Women's Empowerment in Development Lab (WEDLab)

Curent Projects - Working papers coming soon!

Gender Norms, Employment, and the Sharing of Household Work with Lorena Alcázar, Franque Grimard, Tamara Pressman, and Andrea Ulloa

Childcare Subsidies, Working Mothers, and Children's Health in a Kenyan Informal Urban Settlement with Shelley Clark and Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo

Publications

Laszlo, S., C. de Miranda, F. Grimard, T. Insfrán, T. Kokossou, L. Morínigo, J. Warnick. "Norm shifting interventions and beliefs about gender norms in Paraguay”. Forthcoming at Economic Development and Cultural Change. https://doi.org/10.1086/733348 [Paper]

Laszlo, S., M. F. Majid, and L. Renée. 2024. "Conditional Cash Transfers and Women's Reproductive Choices'' Health Economics Vol. 33(2): 204-228 [Paper]

Raeburn, K., S. Laszlo, and J. Warnick. 2023. "Resolving ambiguity as a public good: Experimental evidence from Guyana.'' Theory and Decision Vol. 95: 79-107. [Paper]

Alcázar, L. and S. Laszlo. 2022. "La importancia de mejorar la oferta de cuidado diurno en un Perú pospandémico (The case for enhanced childcare provision in a post-pandemic Peru)." Chapter 3.B. in GRADE El Perú pendiente: ensayos para un desarrollo con bienestar. Lima: GRADE (Pages 203-235)

Dowie, G., A. de Haan, S. Laszlo and K. Grantham. 2021. "Introduction: The Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women programme" in Eds. K. Grantham, G. Dowie, and A. de Haan. Women's Economic Empowerment: Insights from Africa and South Asia. Routledge.

List, G., S. Laszlo, and O. Coomes. 2020. "Mitigating risk for floodplain agriculture in Amazonia: an opportunity for index-based flood insurance" Climate and Development Vol. 12 (7): 649-663 [Paper]

Laszlo, S., K. Grantham, E. Oskay, T. Zhang. 2020. "Grappling with the Challenges of Measuring Women's Economic Empowerment'' World Development Vol. 132. Article 104959. [Paper].

Sayour, N., J. Engle-Warnick, and S. Laszlo. 2020. "Experimental Evidence on the Relation between Personality Traits and Preferences" Bulletin of Economic Research Vol. 72(3): 288-317. [Paper]

Clark, S., C. Kabiru, S. Laszlo and S. Muthuri. 2019. "The Impact of Childcare on Poor Urban Women’s Economic Empowerment in Africa" Demography Vol. 56(4): 1247-1272. (Previous title: "Can Subsidized Early Child Care Promote Women's Employment? Evidence from a Slum Settlement in Africa") [GrOW Working Paper Version] [Policy Brief] [Policy In Action]

Engle-Warnick, J., and S. Laszlo. 2017. "Learning-by-doing in an Ambiguous Environment." Journal of Risk and Uncertainty Vol. 55 (1): 71-94. [Paper]

Lowitt. K., G. M. Hickey, Saint Ville, A., Raeburn, K., Thompson-Colón, T., Laszlo, S. and L. E. Phillip. 2015. "Factors affecting the innovation potential of smallholder farmers in the Caribbean Community" Regional Environmental Change Vol. 15(7): 1367-1377.

Grimard, F. and S. Laszlo. 2014. "Long term effects of civil conflict on women's health outcomes in Peru." World Development Vol. 54: 139-155.

Hunt, J. and S. Laszlo. 2012. "Is Bribery Really Regressive? Bribery's Costs, Benefits and Mechanisms." World Development Vol. 40 (2): 355-372. [NBER Working Paper \#11635 Version]

Engle-Warnick, J., J. Escobal and S. Laszlo. 2011. "Ambiguity Aversion and Portfolio Choice in Small-Scale Peruvian Farming.'' B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy Vol. 11 (1): 68.

Grimard, F., S. Laszlo and W. Lim. 2010. "Health, Aging and Childhood Socio-Economic Conditions in Mexico" Journal of Health Economics Vol. 29 (5): 630-640.

Laszlo, S. and E. Santor. 2009. "Migration, Social Networks and Credit: Empirical Evidence from Peru" Developing Economies Vol. 47 (4): 383-409.

Engle-Warnick, J., J. Escobal and S. Laszlo. 2009. "How do Additional Alternatives Affect Individual Choice under Uncertainty?" Canadian Journal of Economics Vol. 42 (1): 113-140.

Laszlo, S. 2008. "Education, Labour Supply and Market Development in Rural Peru." World Development Vol. 36 (11): 2421-2439.

Escobal, J. and S. Laszlo. 2008. "Measurement Error in Access to Markets." Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics Vol. 70 (2): 209-243.

Laszlo, S. 2005. "Self-Employment Earnings and Returns to Education in Rural Peru" Journal of Development Studies Vol. 41 (7): 1247-1287.

Working Papers

Engle-Warnick, J., J. Escobal, S. Laszlo and A. Chakraborty. "The Role of Active Discussion in Learning about Uncertain Technologies" [Current Version of Working paper] Submitted

Raeburn, K., J. Li, S. Laszlo, and J. Warnick, . "Learning and technology choice: Experimental evidence from Guayana."

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