Welcome!
I am an Economist and Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester. My primary research interests are in development and labor economics. I am also a Fellow of the Global Labor Organization (GLO). Previously, I was an Economist and Consultant at the World Bank Group and have consulted for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C.
To learn more about my work, please visit my Research page or download my CV.
Recent-ish Papers
🆕 Female Leaders and Welfare in a Water-Scarce Economy
with Caitlin Brown & Aruni Mitra
â–¶ Abstract
|
Paper
|
Slides
Are female leaders better at mitigating the adverse economic consequences of environmental change than their male counterparts? Combining historical groundwater data with rural household survey data from India and exploiting village-level random variation in leadership quotas, we document that female leaders are more effective in mitigating the adverse employment impact of groundwater scarcity, increasing household incomes and non-food spending, particularly investment in child education. We identify a structural transformation mechanism: female leaders in water-scarce villages reallocate public works (NREGS) toward water-related infrastructure development, facilitating a shift from the water-constrained agricultural sector towards manufacturing and construction.
🆕 College Access and Domestic Violence
with Ha Luong
â–¶ Abstract
|
Paper
|
Slides
How does access to college affect domestic violence? We study this question in the context of a large-scale investment in higher education expansion in India. The expansion program incentivized the establishment of new colleges in areas with relatively low enrollment in higher education. Using multiple sources of data and a regression discontinuity design, we find that the college expansion program significantly reduced domestic violence for all women. The decline was more pronounced for younger women than for older women, which suggests that the impact of the expansion program was driven by cohorts that were more likely to be exposed to the colleges and benefit from them. Additionally, we find that the entry of new colleges increased women's labor force participation and changed how women spent their time in the economy. More specifically, we find that women spent more time on paid activities including wage and self-employment, educational activities and less on domestic work. Finally, we tested how social norms changed, and we find that women were more likely to reject any justification for domestic violence, participate in household decision-making, and have ownership of assets, suggesting a change in existing social norms and increased empowerment of women.