My Research

Job Market Paper: Hoping to do better in school? Experimental evidence from primary school children in India 

Abstract

Internal constraints and the immanent lack of hope are barriers for academic performance. This paper offers experimental evidence on the power of sparking hope in children. In an RCT in India, primary school students were randomly assigned to watch a short-film produced as a part of the experiment. This role modeling intervention was highly cost effective and resulted in an immediate and sustained increase in student hope and effort, alongside improvements in happiness. Subsequently, English test scores increased by 0.16 sd after 6-weeks and exam performance in Mathematics improved by 0.25 sd after 2 years. 

RCT registry: https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4454

Media and social media promotions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z0BCaZ-VEQ&t=63s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33gR1xA4zAU&t=137s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceg8-u8dlF8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjkqBR7ql5M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJtgUrMvcXY&t=1s

LMIC research report: https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/socialsciences/lowandmiddleincomecountriesresearchnetworklmic/ourwork/lmicpublicationseries/lmicresearchreports/

Role models among us: experimental evidence on inspirations and gender disparities set in stones  (with J. Wen)

Abstract

Historical monuments mediate a conversation between the past and present. Statues represent what people at some period in the past chose to commemorate and to some extent, celebrate. These range from individuals, gods and events. In this randomised controlled trial, we test the presence of such communications and their consequences from an inspirational lens. Focusing on a cohort of primary school students in India, we study the role-modelling effect of historical statues. Students in the treatment group were exposed to a short video of these otherwise locally present yet then inaccessible statutes during the Covid pandemic. The placebo group experienced an identical narrative on the same role models, with the visuals being composed of images of these role models and not their statues. There was a third pure control group. We find that treatment with a virtual tour of four statues of distinct role models in Jaipur leads to an increase in students’ academic performance. Importantly, immediately after the intervention, students watching the treatment video perform better in a memory test than the placebo and control groups. The treatment affects only boys and evidence from heterogeneity analysis suggests that the lack of female role models and their status could greatly attribute to the gender gap in academic performance in India. We postulate familiarity and susceptibility as the two fundamental constituents for relatability and as key mechanisms that fuel a motivational effect within the role modelling literature.

RCT registry: https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/8055

[Draft available upon email requests.]

Work in progress

Aspiration adaptation over time: Evidence from Scotland (with J. Wen, D. Turchet, and M. Schröder) 

Abstract

Aiming at relaxing internal constraints, much research focuses on the effectiveness of changing aspirations. Yet little is known about how these aspirations change over time. This project studies aspiration adaptation and whether hope can function as a capability - fuelling and sustaining aspirations. We develop a theoretical framework to predict the process of aspiration formation and development and offer suggestive insights on the role of hope in such a process. This project attempts to shed light on the relationship between aspiration adaptation and hope by combining experimental evidence. Focusing on a cohort of students at the University of Glasgow, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is designed to provide support for the predictions arising from the theory. 

RCT registry: https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/6520

Students and their thoughts: Reflecting for a good semester (with J. Vornberger, J. Wen, T. Koutmeridis, and C. Felfe) 

Abstract

We aim to examine the impact of mental health on academic performance and the role played by reflection and literacy intervention. In that attempt, primary data of students of an undergraduate course in a German university will be collected during one academic semester. We contribute to the existing literature by measuring both the impact of our intervention on mental health and the effect of mental health on academic performance. The results will test whether a reflection and/or a potential literacy intervention in the classroom can significantly affect mental health.

RCT registry: https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/10277

Family Size and Aspirations: Evidence from China (with J. Wen and K. Guo)

Abstract

Changes in family size can affect a family’s wealth distribution and resource allocation. An abrupt increment in the number of family members through twin-birth is detrimental to the family from a psychological and developmental standpoint. We explore this using Chinese family survey data and find that additional member lowers children’s academic aspirations and those of their parents for them. Alongside reducing parental investment and involvement, such a shock significantly reduces their long-run educational attainments. While little is known on the behavioral side of the joys of twin birth, we limit our attention to the associated undiscovered perils, in an attempt to diagnose an issue that can be resolved via policy interventions. 

Projects in the early inception 

Policing, crime, and development: Evidence on the superstar effect from India (with T. Koutmeridis and J. Wen)

Hope and aspiration adaptation in school students (with N. Sangwan, D. Turchet,  and M. Schröder)