Research

Menstrual Stigma, Hygiene, and Human Capital: Experimental Evidence from Madagascar (with Karen Macours (PSE) and Duncan Webb (PSE))

Abstract: This paper presents results from an RCT in 140 schools in Madagascar that targets both hy- giene practices and menstrual stigma. First, we show that a bundle of interventions (sanitation infrastructure, menstrual products, and teacher sensitization) leads to substantial (0.15 SD) im- provements in learning tests and school marks, without affecting attendance or health. These learning benefits appear to be driven by reduced stress and an improved psychosocial environ- ment in treatment schools, where girls’ heart rate at endline is lower (-0.12 SD), severe bullying is less common (-0.08 SD), and a measure of network integration is higher (+0.24 SD). Second, we evaluate the additional effect of nominating and coaching “young girl leaders” - school girls willing to speak out against menstrual stigma - to spread positive messages about hygiene and menstruation. The combined program generates substantial improvements in hygiene knowl- edge and behavior (0.33-0.56 SD) and in menstrual stigma (0.74 SD), and the Young Girl Leader component significantly increases the impact on all of these dimensions.

When fathers are gone: the consequences of paternal absence during the early years (Job Market Paper)

Abstract: I examine the causal effect of paternal absence during the first years of life on early childhood development. I take advantage of Young Lives study, a unique panel dataset including skill outcomes of pairs of siblings with different levels of paternal involvement. With a difference in difference approach, I first compare the younger sibling exposed to the father's absence in the early years versus the older one exposed at age 5. Then, I control for the gap in skills between siblings living in households with no absence. Results show that paternal absence in the early years leads to a relative worsening in nutritional outcomes when 5 years old. The gap persists when 8 and 12 years old, with no evidence of cumulative effects. On the contrary, younger siblings relatively outperform their older counterparts. Finally, there is no strong evidence on differences in development when absence occurs at age 5 for the younger and 8 for the older sibling. These findings are consistent with critical windows for ability development during the first 1,000 days of life.

Vera Rueda, J. (2021). When fathers are gone: the consequences of paternal absence during the early years. HAL. 

Perception, investments, and newborn's outcomes: the perception of a newborn's health and its influence on parental investment and health outcomes: Evidence from ELFE cohort

I study whether the parental perception of a newborn’s health affects their investments in the child and their health outcomes later in childhood. I use the medical cutoff of low birth weight (<2.5kg.), a historically standard cutoff used to identify infants at high mortality risk. While the economic literature has already studied the implications similar cutoffs (<1.5kg.) have on children’s development, most of it has focused on medical treatments as the primary mechanism. In this paper, I investigate whether parents also respond to this label by adapting their investment decisions. To answer this question, I use the French Longitudinal Study of Children (ELFE). Using a regression discontinuity design approach, I find an improvement in nutritional outcomes for those that, on top of being low birth weight, are premature. I do not find strong evidence of direct medical intervention at birth based only on the cutoff. Conversely, I encounter that parents respond to children being labeled low birth weight. This is particularly so when looking at parental investments in pre-term children. While doctors might have an indirect role- through advice and recommendations to parents- ignoring parental responses at birth could lead to an under/overestimation of the returns of early-life interventions by the medical community.