We examine whether highly visible female success can shift beliefs about gender inequality and gender roles. Using quasi-random variation from the overlap between women’s international soccer tournaments and Latinobarómetro interviews, we estimate the impact of national team performance on gender attitudes. Individuals interviewed within seven days of a women’s national team victory are 63 percent more likely to report that men and women are not treated equally, while defeats make respondents 17 percent less likely to do so; draws have no effect. Event-study estimates indicate that the effect of victories emerges immediately and persists. The impact is stronger in high-salience competitions and is not driven by score margins. Victories also weaken traditional views about domestic roles and male political leadership, while defeats reinforce traditional attitudes toward intra-household economic hierarchies. Evidence from the 2023 European Social Survey shows similar patterns.

This paper examines whether government cash transfers promote financial inclusion in the United States. Using variation in federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) schedules, I show that income support encourages households to enter the formal banking system and reduces reliance on alternative financial services, with stronger responses among historically underserved racial groups. However, these gains are concentrated on entry-level banking outcomes rather than on credit, mortgage, digital banking, or savings behaviors. The findings suggest that while income support can ease liquidity constraints and foster initial inclusion, deeper financial integration requires complementary policies that address structural and technological barriers.

Can large-scale socio-political events influence organizational outcomes like hiring? This paper documents how firms' hiring rates shifted across racial groups following the 2020 George Floyd protests. These protests were not significantly correlated with pre-existing hiring trends, economic conditions, or most demographic characteristics. Using a difference-in-differences approach with continuous treatment and an event study design, I find that counties with higher protest intensity experienced a decline in Black hiring rates over the two years following the protests, with no significant change for Hispanic or Asian groups. White hiring rates declined in 2020 but rebounded in the following years. The negative effect on Black hiring is not explained by political orientation, urbanization, racial bias, or labor supply and demand. It is concentrated in large firms and in counties with small Black communities, with no effect where Black representation is higher. Finally, protest effects vary by industry, with declines in health care and social assistance and increases in arts and entertainment.