My primary research interests are gender and development economics, and my secondary research interests labour economics and political economy. My research focuses on both the processes and outcomes of policy-making and programming, in development and fragile contexts.
My PhD thesis (expected 2026) explores the prevalence, determinants, effects and policies to reduce unpaid care and domestic work by children in developing countries. Specifically I study how gender inequalities in unpaid care and domestic work manifest during childhood and adolescence, how this type of child work affects children's education, and what interventions can reduce it.
Beyond my PhD, I am also interested in investigating how and why policymakers enact gender-responsive policies, especially social protection and care systems.
"Unpaid care and domestic work among girls and boys in developing countries: prevalence, determinants, and the gender gaps", with Franziska Gassman, Wim Groot and Bruno Martorano
NEW! "Child work in developing countries: revisiting the differences and similarities between income-generating and unpaid care and domestic work", 2024, with Franziska Gassman, Wim Groot and Bruno Martorano. Journal of Development Studies, 0(0): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2024.2434253
“COVID-19 and a ‘Crisis of Care’: A Feminist Analysis of Public Policy Responses to Paid and Unpaid Care and Domestic work", 2022, International Labour Review, 161: 195-218. https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12354, with Z. Nesbitt-Ahmed
“Children’s roles in social reproduction: re-examining the discourse on care through a child lens”, 2018, with P. Banati and S. Cook, Journal of Law, Social Justice and Global Development, (Special Issue, ‘Gender and Development’), Issue 21: 2018: 33 — 48. DOI: 10.31273/LGD.2018.2103
Presented at: IAFFE 2019 Annual Conference
"Integrating Gender and Child Rights into the Reforms of Key Social Protection Programmes in Mexico", with Claudia Mir Cervantes, Maximo Jaramillo, and Celina Sorboe. Innocenti Research Report, and Innocenti Research Brief, December 2024. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti.
“Measuring gender equality: review of quantitative measures and reflections for future research”, Innocenti Working Paper, October 2024, Florence: UNICEF Innocenti.
"Integrating Gender and Child Rights into Social Protection Reforms: Three Case Studies from Angola", with Celina Sorboe. Innocenti Research Report, and Innocenti Research Brief, August 2024. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti.
"Integrating a Gender and Life course Perspective in Social Protection Reforms: Three case studies from Uruguay (2005-2023)", with Guadalupe Goyeneche and Camila Porto. Innocenti Research Report, and Innocenti Research Brief, August 2024. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti.
“Promoting gender-transformative change through social protection: an analytical approach”, 2022, with Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed and Ramya Subrahmanian, Innocenti Research Report no. 2022-12 and Innocenti Research Brief
“Mainstreaming gender into social protection strategies and programmes: Evidence from 74 low- and middle-income countries”, 2021, with T. Cookson, Z. Nesbitt-Ahmed, R. Sandoval, S. Staab, C. Tabbush, Innocenti Research Report June 2021
Presented at: socialprotection.org 2020 e-conference
Policy mentions: ILO, FAO and UNICEF; Act Church of Sweden and The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
“Social protection and its effects on gender equality: a literature review”, 2020, Innocenti Working Paper no. 2020-16
Policy mentions: OECD; World Bank; UN-ESCAP
“Making strategic investments for adolescents”, 2018, with P. Banati, Ch. 15 in Landsford, J., and Banati, P. (Eds.), Handbook of Adolescent Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy, Oxford University Press
“Realizing an enabling environment for adolescent wellbeing: An inventory of laws and policies for adolescents in eight South Asian countries”, 2018, Innocenti Research Report
“Making strategic investments for adolescents”, 2018, with P. Banati, Ch. 15 in Landsford, J., and Banati, P. (Eds.), Handbook of Adolescent Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy, Oxford University Press
Time Spent on Unpaid Domestic and Caregiving Services by Children in India: Insights into gender, age and learning. with Samantroy E., A. K. Shiva Kumar and V. Groppo. Discussion Paper. UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, September 2024.
"Gender-Equitable Family Policies for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: An Agenda for the G20", with R. Subrahmanian, D. Richardson, R. Esteinou, AK S Kumar, L. Whitehead, T20 Policy Brief July 2023
"Children and COVID-19: Research Library Quarterly Digest Issue 6", co-edited with Z. Nesbitt-Ahmed, Innocenti Digest 2023, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight
“Researchers reflect on what inspired them to work on gender”, with A. Guedes and Z. Nesbitt-Ahmed, UNICEF Connect Evidence for Action blog, 5th March 2021
“GRASSP Think Piece Series”, with P. Banati (Eds.), UNICEF Innocenti GRASSP Think Pieces, 16th January 2020
“Gender, social protection and life course research: moving the field(s) forward”, with P. Banati, UNICEF Innocenti GRASSP Think Piece Series, 16th January 2020
“Unleashing the Potential of Social Protection for Adolescent Girls and Women”, with P. Banati, R. Hinton, S. Jha, N. Jones, M. Kahane, and A. Khurshid, UNICEF Connect Evidence for Action blog, 11th March 2019
"Three windows of opportunity – using science to inform programming for adolescents and young people", (2018), with P. Banati. UNICEF Connect Evidence for Action, 3rd October 2018
"Care Work and Children: An Expert Roundtable", 2017, with P. Banati and S. Cook, Innocenti Research Brief 2017-02