Research

My research focuses on development economics, labor, health, and gender. I use experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study barriers to economic development and equity and the effectiveness of policies to address them.  

Publications

1. COVID-19, Job Loss, and Intimate Partner Violence in Peru (with Jorge M. Agüero, Erica Field, and Ignacio Rodriguez Hurtado). Economic Development and Cultural Change, 73(1): 1-35. 2024

2. Is Remote Sensing Data Useful for Studying the Association between Pandemic-Related Changes in Economic Activity and Intimate Partner Violence? (with Jorge M. Agüero, Erica Field, and Ignacio Rodriguez Hurtado). AEA Papers and Proceedings, 112: 1-5. 2022. 

3. Is Community-Based Targeting Effective in Identifying Intimate Partner Violence? (with Jorge M. Agüero, Úrsula Aldana, Erica Field, and Veronica Frisancho). AEA Papers and Proceedings, 110: 605-09. 2020. 

Working Papers

1. Measurement Error in Self-Reported Data on Stigmatized Behavior: Experimental Evidence on Intimate Partner Violence (with Jorge M. Agüero, Ursula Aldana, Erica Field, Veronica Frisancho, and Ignacio Rodriguez-Hurtado). NBER Working Paper 35891. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. 2026. 

• Online Appendix.

2. Privacy and Measurement Error in Phone Surveys: The Case of Women’s Agency (with  Jorge M. Agüero, Julián Pierino Pedrazzi, and Viviana Perego). Working Paper. 2023. 

3. Investing in Digital Technologies to Improve Market Access for Women Agri-Preneurs: Experimental Evidence from Guatemala (with Angela R. Lopez and Viviana M.E. Perego). Working Paper. 2023. 

Work in Progress

1. Training Local Leaders to Prevent and Reduce Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Experimental Evidence from Peru (with Ursula Aldana, Erica Field, and Livia Schubiger ). Status: intervention on the field. [IPA’s evaluation profile]. 

Abstract: Despite the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its long-term welfare consequences, there is scarce rigorous evidence on interventions that aim to reduce it. Leaders in Action (LIA), the flagship program of the Peruvian Ministry of Women (MIMP), is a large-scale intervention aimed at changing social norms around IPV in rural areas. The program trains local leaders to work in their communities to prevent and reduce IPV. We conduct a randomized evaluation to assess the impact of two alternative, theory-driven approaches to delivering this program: a household-based intervention (HT) that provides door-to-door training sessions and a group-based intervention (GT). The GT integrates an edutainment approach, a communication strategy that works through media to promote a better context for behavior change than delivering information alone.

Other Working Papers

1. Do Schools Prompt Terrorist Attacks? Evidence from Peru using Spatial Econometrics (with Andrea Salazar). 2013 Luca D'Agliano award for best paper.

2. Informal Risk-Sharing and Poverty Persistence (with Cesar Calvo). CSAE Working Paper Series 2009-19.