research

We analyze social desirability bias in the reporting of parenting practices through survey questions. We develop a method to experimentally identify this bias by purposely inducing social desirability in questions on feeding practices through a random information provision on best practices. Our results show a treatment effect of -0.160 standard deviations in the reporting of children ultra-processed food consumption, in line with the presence of social desirability bias. We find a larger bias for women, less educated individuals, caregivers that believe child development is not malleable to parental investment, and those with risk preferences above the median. Although the Marlowe-Crowne scale positively correlates with our experimental measure of social desirability bias, we show that an heterogeneous effect analysis by this variable does not fully remove the issue.

We conduct an information experiment on screen exposure in early childhood by providing caregivers with recommendations based on recognized health institutions through an online video and digital leaflet. We evaluate the effectiveness of this light touch intervention using original data on the quantity and quality of screen exposure. We find null effects for screen time and quality of exposure in the overall sample, with mild effects on parental beliefs. However, caregivers belonging to vulnerable groups improve their beliefs and their child's quality of screen exposure. In addition, we find suggestive evidence of strong survey effects from the self-assessment of parenting practices motivated by the completion of the questionnaire. These results provide evidence to design policies that promote skill acquisition from digital technologies by changing parental beliefs and practices.

We exploit the geographic differences in the introduction of fiber-optic-to-the-home (FTTH) to study the effects of high-speed internet exposure on early childhood development. We identify intention-to-treat effects on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes using screening tests for developmental delays. Our results show that an increase in 10 percentage points in the probability of fiber optic decreases development scores between 8% and 18% of a standard deviation in the areas of communication, problem solving and social skills. Effect sizes are larger for girls, children with more educated parents and living in the capital city. Regarding the mechanisms, our results suggest that the effects are driven by an increase in children’s screen time and by changes in parental practices.

This paper aims to analyze the correlation between screen exposure and characteristics of children and their homes. We use the Nutrition, Child Development and Health Survey data to estimate nonlinear regression models. Results show that the child's age is positively associated with the use of screens in early childhood. We also observe a tendency towards convergence regarding screen use between regions and socioeconomic strata in the years analyzed. In addition, the presence of new technologies at home is a relevant factor in explaining the hours of screen time, the use of screens during meals, and caregivers' opinion regarding their use. On the other hand, care arrangements and the structure of the home are also factors that explain screen exposure. The presence of other children, as well as preschool attendance, is associated with lower screen use. Living with both mother and father and the hours of unpaid care by other adults positively correlate with screen use. Finally, the child's family environment, given by the caregiver's emotional vulnerability and upbringing's emotional environment, is also a predictor of screen exposure. 

International evidence suggests that gender norms explain part of the observed changes in the role of women in society. Understanding how these attitudes and preferences are constructed and transmitted is crucial to identifying the potential obstacles girls and women face in achieving more equitable economic outcomes. This project seeks to contribute to the understanding of gender norms by studying the channels through which the environment can modify them and their impacts on time-use decisions. It will also seek to contribute to the analysis of instruments for their measurement. First, this project will analyze whether the sex of the offspring affects the way men act in terms of gender norms and attitudes. Second, whether there is intergenerational transmission of gender norms related to female employment, in particular, whether exposure to working women of one generation affects female employment of the next generation. Finally, it will design an instrument to measure explicit and implicit gender norms through self-administered surveys.

We expect that this project will provide novel evidence regarding the formation and transmission of gender norms in Uruguay, as well as their measurement through surveys. Our results will provide relevant evidence to the academic literature, as well as for the design of public policies that seek gender equality, and contribute to the development of equitabletrajectories between men and women.. 

In recent years, various studies have highlighted an apparent paradox in the relationship between inequality and the role of the state in resource redistribution. Countries with lower levels of inequality tend to have states with a greater incidence of redistributive policies. Conversely, those that have historically faced greater inequality problems tend to allocate fewer efforts to redistribution. This project addresses the issue of inequality in Latin America and aims to analyze some of the mechanisms that influence individual behavior and, in one way or another, impact income distribution. To achieve this, we first examine the case of Uruguay by asking: What are the effects of unfavorable and unexpected labor market events on individuals’ preferences for redistributive policies? Then, considering four countries in the region, we explore the foundations of inequality aversion and its relationship with the axioms of the main indicators used to measure income inequality. To answer these questions, we employ different methodological strategies. For the first question, we combine panel data with administrative records, leveraging the existence of random shocks to obtain causal evidence on the role of unexpected labor market events in shaping preferences for redistributive policies. For the latter questions, we conduct a field study specifically for this project in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. Through an experimental survey, we will investigate the foundations of inequality aversion and preferences for different axioms commonly used to measure inequality. The project is expected to strengthen research capacities on preferences for redistribution and inequality aversion; generate new, homogeneous data across different Latin American countries to explain the heterogeneous trajectories of nations with high or medium levels of inequality; provide original evidence on the determinants of preferences for redistribution and the properties of inequality indicators, as well as aversion to extreme inequalities; and, finally, contribute to the public debate on these issue

In this project, we propose to analyze how different types of circumstances impact on two possible explanatory channels of intergenerational mobility: cognitive and non-cognitive skills, and the beliefs and preferences of young people. For this, we consider three types of circumstances:  (i) invariant parental attributes assigned to the child from birth, (ii) the attributes associated with decisions during the child's infancy, and  (iii) unforeseen adverse shocks. These circumstances have different origins and can affect differently depending on the stage of life in which they are generated. Based on the Longitudinal Study of the Well-being in Uruguay (ELBU) we will estimate the determinants of cognitive and non-cognitive skills when young people are 17/18 years old distinguishing between determinants associated with circumstances related to parental invariant attributes and attributes that depend on parental decisions parents. For this, we will particularly analyze the effect of changing neighborhoods when the youth is under 14 years of age. In addition, using the same database, we will study changes in meritocratic beliefs, aspirations, and preferences for redistribution when young people are between 17/18 and 24/25 years old. This implies considering the period 2015/16 and 2022/2023, therefore, including the economic crisis due to the COVID pandemic. In the project, we propose to use different empirical strategies to identify the effects of this unforeseen shock on the beliefs of young people, and thus provide evidence of the importance of the three types of mentioned circumstances. 

On the one hand, innovation is considered as an important factor in order to promote the economic development of countries. On the other hand, the study of the labor share has gain attention again due to movements in the recent decades. This paper tries to analyze the effect of innovation in the labor share at the rm level for a developing country: Uruguay. In order to do this, I use a novel panel database that merges information about the innovation process of rms and the labor share for the period 2007-2015. The study focuses on big firms of industrial and service sectors and estimate the relationship between innovation and labor share using different approximations. The results show that there is a mild negative relationship between innovation and labor share caused fundamentally by innovation on intangible goods.

This paper aims to explore the effect of an educational intervention using adaptive technology combined with personalized teaching on grit. To do so, we conduct a quasiexperimental in elementary public schools design in association with the Uruguayan government. Using a sample of 100 schools, where half of the schools are treated, we estimate the causal effect of a High-Tech High-Touch intervention on grit for children of 10 years old. Since the intervention implies personalized teaching and the use of an adaptive platform adequate to the student's academic level, we expect positive e
effcts on the grit.