Publications

"Do female politicians lead to better learning outcomes? The B.E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Vol. 22, No. 4, (2022), pp. 763-800

"Effect of female politicians on post-primary education and intergenerational education spending" Journal of Human Capital, Vol. 16, No. 4, (2022)

"Do female politicians matter for female labor market outcomes? Evidence from state legislative elections in India." Labour Economics (2020): 101822.

"The determinants of entrepreneurship gender gaps: A cross country analysis" with David Cuberes and Marc Teignier, Review of Development Economics, Vol. 23 No. 1 (2019), 72-101.

Working Papers

Community health workers and education outcomes in India (with Magda Tsaneva)

This paper examines the effect of India’s community health workers, known as ASHA, on children’s education outcomes. We use data from the Annual Status of Education Report for all of rural India and rely on variation in program implementation dates, child year of birth and test year to identify the effect of the program for children between the ages of 6 and 10. We find that in-utero exposure to the program is associated with higher years of education and better reading and mathematics test scores, although changes in the quantity of schooling largely explain the effect on test scores. Event study analysis shows that program implementation at any time in the child’s life is associated with higher years of education, although the earlier the program is implemented, the greater the effect. Analysis of mechanisms suggests that years of education appear to be affected by changes in pre-natal and early childhood healthcare and not by changes in parental investment behavior at the intensive margin. Our results show significant heterogeneity in the treatment effects, where children in the poorest households appear to have benefitted from the program the most.

Long-term effects of an education stipend program on domestic violence (with Raisa Sara)

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a widespread global phenomenon. Among various factors, a low level of education is considered a significant risk factor for experiencing IPV. This paper evaluates whether a nationwide secondary school stipend program introduced in 1994 for rural girls affected the long-term prevalence of IPV in Bangladesh. Exploiting two sources of variation in the intensity of program exposure and geographic eligibility, we find that cohorts of rural women eligible for the program experienced significant declines in physical and sexual violence. Evidence on mechanisms suggests that the program delayed marriage formation and changed partner quality, namely their education and employment, consistent with positive assortative matching resulting from women’s improved educational attainment. We do not detect significant changes in labor market outcomes, autonomy and decision making within the household, or women’s attitude towards acceptability of domestic violence. Changes in marital matches present an important channel through which the program reduced the risk of IPV.