Research

Publications

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Financial incentives, fertility and early life child outcomes (2020)

Labour Economics, Available online 3 April 2020, 101839

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101839

This paper investigates the short term effects of financial incentives on fertility and early life child outcomes, by exploiting a substantial and unanticipated reform regarding maternity leave benefits: the switch from earnings dependent to fixed benefits, announced in April 2003 in Romania. Most employed women significantly gained from the reform, but high earning women were disadvantaged. Using Reproductive Health Survey data, I analyze the effects on live births, conceptions, abortions and early life child outcomes. The change in financial incentives did not influence short term conception rates but significantly decreased the probability of abortion, by a very large margin, leading to more live births. Outcomes related to early life chid development, such as prenatal maternal investments, child health at birth and breastfeeding, do not appear to be affected in the short run by the large average increase in maternity leave benefits.

Bridging the gap for Roma: The effects of an ethnically targeted program on prenatal care and child health (2018)

with Andreea Mitrut

Journal of Public Economics, Volume 165, 2018, Pages 114-132, ISSN 0047-2727

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272718301324

This study uses quasi-experimental variation from a public health program implemented in Romania that targeted Roma, Europe's largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority. The program employed health mediators to increase the provision of information about already existing, free of charge health services available for children and pregnant women. We find that, in rural areas, the program led to large increases in prenatal care take-up rates but no improvements in children's health at birth. However, we find significant reductions in infant mortality caused by perinatal complications.

Working papers

Wage cuts and health at birth: the adverse effects of in utero exposure to economic shocks

with Andreea Mitrut

(Submitted)

We investigate the effects on health outcomes at birth of a major (25%) and unexpected wage cut austerity measure that affected the public sector employees in Romania in 2010. Our findings suggest that children in-utero at the time of the austerity announcement have worse health outcomes at birth relative to their unaffected siblings. The most sensitive periods to in-utero shocks are the first and the last trimesters. The main mechanism behind our results seems to be prenatal maternal stress. The negative outcomes at birth appear to have lasting scarring effects up to the age of four, despite some evidence of mothers’ compensatory post-birth investments.