Upcoming seminars
13/04/2026 at 1 pm
Francesco Loiacono
(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UK)
"Workplace contact and the hiring of refugees: Evidence from randomized internships"
Abstract: Can short-term workplace exposure overcome hiring barriers for underrepresented workers? We randomly assign firms to host refugee job-seekers for one-week internships in Uganda. Treated firms are twice as likely to employ refugees two years later, driven by hiring from the broader community, not just matched workers. Employers revise upward their beliefs about refugees’ soft skills, non-contractible attributes difficult to signal through resumes. Effects emerge gradually and persist, suggesting workplace contact reduces perceived risk in employment relationships. Effects concentrate among matches where both employers and refugees enter with positive baseline attitudes, highlighting targeting’s importance in program design.
15/04/2026 at 1 pm
Jenifer Ruiz Valenzuela
(Universitat de Barcelona, Spain)
"Paternity Leave and Labor Market Outcomes"
Abstract: This paper examines the labour market effects of Spain's five paternity leave expansions between 2017 and 2021, which progressively increased paternity leave from 2 to 16 weeks while keeping maternity leave constant at 16 weeks. Using administrative Social Security data covering approximately 1.5 million births and employing a regression discontinuity design around each reform cutoff, the paper finds near-complete take-up by eligible fathers. The reforms improved employment outcomes for mothers in the first year after birth. Preliminary results for other labour market outcomes indicate reduced job mobility and lower occupational upgrading in the two years after birth for both fathers and mothers. Together, these findings suggest that fully earmarked paternity leave is effective at increasing father involvement and strengthening labour market attachment especially for mothers, but may come at the cost of reduced job mobility and career progression in the short run.
How to attend the seminar:
The seminar will be on-site in room 1-301 and also streamed on-line.
To receive the seminar invitation with the streaming link, please send an email to teoriahistoriauam@gmail.com
Organisers: Jorge García Hombrados, Ana Nuevo Chiquero, Eugenio Zucchelli and Damian Pierri