• Educating Mothers, Feeding Families?  Long-Term Health Effects of Schooling in Bangladesh (JMP)

Abstract: This study examines the long-term impact of maternal education on health and nutrition outcomes in Bangladesh, leveraging the 1994 Female Secondary School Stipend Program (FSSSP) as an exogenous policy intervention. Using a cohort-based instrumental variables approach applied to panel data from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS), I estimate the impact of increased maternal education on anthropometric and dietary outcomes for both mothers and their children. The results reveal that each additional year of maternal education significantly raises Body Mass Index (BMI), with stronger effects among women in the upper half of the BMI distribution. While maternal education is associated with higher dietary diversity, it also drives higher sugar consumption and does not significantly improve overall diet quality. Among children, maternal education is associated with improvements in both dietary quality and diversity. However, its effects on anthropometric indicators are limited, showing no significant impact on Height-for-Age (HAZ) or Weight-for-Height (WHZ), and only a modest reduction in BMI-for-Age z-scores (BMIAZ) among those in the upper percentiles. These findings highlight the dual role of education in shaping nutritional behavior: while it could improve dietary composition, it may also contribute to overnutrition in contexts undergoing rapid dietary and economic transitions.

• Does Globalization Affect Maternal Education's Health Returns? Evidence from Nutrition with Anne-Celia Disdier and Fabrice Etilé

Abstract: This work re-evaluates the relationship between maternal education and the domestic production of health, by studying how economic and social globalization moderates the effect of maternal education on the joint risk of maternal overweight and child stunting, known as the Double Burden of Malnutrition (DBM). We implement a multi-level household-region method, distinguishing the effect of variations in household micro-economic determinants from those of within-country regional macro-economic determinants on DBM trends observed between 1990 and 2021 in the pooled Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) data. Our results challenge the conventional view that female education always protects against DBM. While baseline levels of education remain protective, overtime gains in maternal education show more variable effects, especially in regions undergoing rapid globalization. Cultural globalization tends to reduce DBM on average, but its interaction with education increases DBM risk. Informational globalization shows no consistent moderating effect; interpersonal globalization raises DBM risk, but is mitigated by rising education. Heterogeneity in outcomes is found across world regions. These findings highlight the need for complementing education policies with public health prevention strategies targeting the food environment.

• Mental Health and Life Satisfaction in Later Life: Evidence from Bangladesh with Tetsushi Sonobe, Dil B. Rahut and Shafiun N. Shimul

Abstract: This study examines the mental well-being of the elderly population in Bangladesh, drawing on primary survey data collected in both rural and urban areas in 2021. We construct a multidimensional index of mental well-being based on self-reported symptoms, emotional states, and cognitive conditions, and analyze its association with individual socio-demographic characteristics and living conditions. Our results reveal significant heterogeneity in well-being, with women, the very old, and financially dependent individuals reporting lower scores. Consistent with the broader literature, we find a strong negative relationship between depressive symptoms and overall life satisfaction. Moreover, family support, co-residence with children, and economic autonomy emerge as key protective factors. These findings underscore the high prevalence of dissatisfaction and psychological distress among Bangladeshi elders, and call for targeted interventions to address mental health vulnerabilities in aging populations. 

• Rahut, D. B., & Destefanis, A. (2024). The multidimensional well-being of Asian senior citizens: A systematic review. ADBI Working Paper No. 1443. Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.56506/KAIT9216

• Destefanis, A., Sonobe, T., Rahut, D., & Aryal, J. P. (2021). Lessons for the informal sector from COVID-19. Asia Pathways. Asian Development Bank Institute.

• Forthcoming:  From Field to Future - A Critical Review of Good Governance for Sustainable Development in Developing Countries (with D. B. Rahut, S. Bera  and B. Bhagirath)

• Forthcoming: Parental migration and unconditional cash transfers for education. Evidence from the Smart Indonesia Program.        (with D. B. Rahut)

• International Mobility Grant, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - € 1,700 (2025)

• International Mobility Grant, Paris School of Economics - € 2,895 (2025)

• International Mobility Grant, UMR/CNRS - € 1,367 (2025)

• PhD Doctoral Contract, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (sept 2022- aug 2025)

• Research grant, Asian Development Bank Institute - US$ 11,741 (2021)

• PSE (PjSE) PhD student representative (2025 - …)

• Member of the Strategic Committee (CLEOR) of PSE (2025 - …)

• Organization member, “Globalization, Political Economy, Trade (GPET) PhD students’ seminar” (2022-2024)

• Organization assistant, “European Association of Young Economists (EAYE) conference” (2024)

• Organization assistant, “PSE collegial retreat – Fréjus” (2024)

• Organization member, “Rural Economic Transformation: Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Prosperity in post-COVID-19 Asia” (ADBI - 2019)

• Organization member, “Environmental Challenges and Agricultural Sustainability in Asia: Interlinkages and Future Implications” (ADBI - 2019)