Research

Research Interests:

Primary: Economics of Gender, Development Economics, Labour Economics

Secondary: International Trade, Corporate Finance

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications (or under review)  

1. Can Trade Policy Change Gender Equality? Evidence from Chile. [Job Market Paper]

(with P. Chakraborty and L. Castro) [pdf] Revise & Resubmit (second round) at Journal of International Economics  

Abstract: Do firms reorganize gender composition of their employment in response to a trade shock? Using novel data on gender composition of employment across several occupational groups for Chilean manufacturing firms matched with customs data for 1995-2007, a developing country with low gender equality, and utilizing the 1999 Chile-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as the quasi-natural shock, we document the first evidence that the share of female white-collar workers increased by 10% for new exporters exporting to Mexico due to the FTA or complete elimination of tariffs. This happened through a substitution effect from male to female high-skilled workers caused primarily due to higher use of technology, high-skilled non-productive tasks, and reduction in discrimination in hiring of female white-collar workers. Our results are driven by domestic firms producing final goods. We also show that re-organization of labour force led to about 14% increase in labour productivity. Overall, we underscore that trade policy can play an important role in addressing gender gap in employment.

Other Publications

VoxDev: 3rd September, 2024 : Free trade agreements and women’s employment | Article | VoxDev 

Working Papers

1. 'In the right place at the right time?' - Place Based Tax Policies and Female Entrepreneurship in India

Abstract: The gender gap in entrepreneurship threatens economic growth, which highlights the importance of understanding the hurdles that prevent women from starting their own businesses. Utilizing a place based tax reform that alleviated corporate taxes for newly formed businesses in certain districts of India, I examine whether relaxing tax burden in the presence of discriminatory social norms fosters entrepreneurship among women. I find that the reform significantly increased the share of female entrepreneurs in the treated districts, with these firms performing significantly better than firms created by women in the untreated districts. I show that the results are driven by the fact that even though the financial burden of taxes are identical for both men and women, women have an additional pecuniary cost of tax compliance and non-pecuniary social cost of interactions with tax officials. Overall, results suggest that tax exemption in the initial period can narrow the gender gap in entrepreneurship, especially in the presence of discriminatory social norms.

2. Women Police Stations and Female Employment - Evidence from India 

Abstract: Exploiting a policy experiment that led to the reorganisation of the police force in urban India, we examine if improved local safety around factories can explain gender gap in employment in the context of emerging market economies. We find that an access to women-led police cells and all-women police stations reduce the social stigma around the reporting of gendered crime, thereby deterring such offences and increasing the share of female in total employment by 24%. We also find a positive effect on the growth rate of female employment by 2%, which could imply a potential long term effect. The results do not point towards a mere substitution among genders, but an overall increase in employment and expansion of firm size. The results suggest that this is more of a supply side effect than a demand side phenomenon. Our results point towards a possible shift from the informal to the formal sector. Moreover, both total factor productivity and labour productivity increase, implying that the marginal female worker employed is not of a significantly lower quality.  

3. Careers Intervention and female students' education outcomes in Wales (with  R. Davies)

Abstract: As labour markets become more complex, the need for professional advice and information on careers is essential to help individuals make informed decisions about their futures. Despite the growing body of research on the importance of encouraging young adults to participate in post-compulsory education and the unwavering support of the UK government for this cause, there exist extensive gaps in our understanding of the academic as well as the socio-economic factors that affect the educational and career choices of young individuals in the UK, their learning routes and participation in the labour market and the impact of various policy interventions on this transition. In this paper, we empirically examine the impact that such a policy in Wales, specifically the impact of Career Guidance in post-compulsory education on labour market outcomes of the students. The analysis focuses on the relative contributions of a student's social qualities, prior academic achievement, and career guidance in post-compulsory education on labour market outcomes and pathways. We use a unique dataset where data collected from the National Data Collection (NDC, formerly the National Pupil Database, NPD) has been combined with responses from the Career Check survey, and the Welsh Census database to enable us to look at the academic as well as socio-economic backgrounds of over 90,000 pupils, covering four pupil cohorts from the academic years 2015/16 to 2018/19.

Work in Progress

1. Does Gender Reform Affect Financial Behavior of Firms? New Evidence from India (with S. Banerjee, P. Chakraborty and S. K. Ritadhi)

Abstract: Do gender compositions of corporate boards affect the borrowing behavior of firms? Using proprietary data on firm loans from India for 2010-2018, and exploiting a policy change that mandated all listed firms to have atleast one female member on the board of directors, we show that the law significantly changed loan contracts in favour of the firms. Even though the policy change used as a quasi-natural experiment changes the gender composition of the boards of all firms, the change is greater in firms which already had more female board members ex-ante. Having more female board members increase the total and average loan volume for firms with existing relationships. Such a change in gender composition of corporate boards also facilitates new banking relationships for firms. We find that firms get into new banking relationships which in turn increases the total number of banking relationships of an average firm.

2. Cotton and Conflict - How the U.S. Civil War Revolutionized India's Industrial and Social Hierarchy (with P. Chakraborty) 

Abstract: Did 'feminization of agriculture' change the industrial and colonial social hierarchy in India - a country entrenched in a discriminatory social framework against women? Using the U.S. Civil War as an exogenous shock that caused a huge surge in production of Indian cotton, a female intensive crop, this study examines the impacts of structural changes in agriculture on the long-term trade landscape of India. Using data from the archives of British East India Company and Statistical Abstracts for British India, this project empirically explores two distinct questions - i)What was the magnitude of shock to incomes in India due to the US Civil War and how was this inflow of cash used? ii)How did this translate into the gender gap in employment and the bargaining power of women? Overall, this study will contribute to the debate of economic repercussions of US Civil War on the colonial economies through global trade networks.