JOB MARKET PAPER
Unintended Consequences of CCT Programs on Gender Role Attitudes
[draft]
This paper has been presented at: IEB IWIP seminar (Barcelona, Spain); MSU Development Lunch (Michigan, US); NEUDC Harvard 2023 (Cambridge, US); Seminario MAP (online); MWIEDC Chicago (Chicago, US)
ABSTRACT: This paper explores the impact of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs on children's gender role attitudes, with a focus on Juntos, the largest CCT program in Peru. Using data from the Young Lives Survey and employing the fuzzy regression discontinuity design, I find that the program reinforces traditional gender role attitudes among children in beneficiary households. These attitudes align notably with children's behaviors, particularly among girls. Beneficiary girls allocate more daily time to caregiving and unpaid household labor, which, in turn, is associated with their lower test scores in reading and mathematics. Investigating potential mechanisms reveals that beneficiary mothers are more likely to prioritize their time on home production over paid work or self-employment. This shift in mother's time priority serves as a channel for perpetuating traditional gender role attitudes among children. By offering novel insights into the impact of social policies in a developing context, this paper contributes to our understanding of the complex relationship between policies and gender norms.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION
Luong H (2022) Business grants following natural disasters and their different impact on the performance of female and male-owned microenterprises: Evidence from Sri Lanka. PLOS ONE 17(12): e0279418.
ABSTRACT:
Objective
This paper investigates gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance following natural disasters, and seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the unequal effects.
Method
A panel data-set from an experiment in Sri Lanka is used to measure the difference in the treatment effects of a business grant on the performance of female and male-owned firms following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The sample of 608 microenterprises includes 297 female-owned firms and 311 male-owned firms. There are 338 firms (Male = 176, Female = 162) in the treatment group that received the grant and 270 firms (Male = 135, Female = 135) in the control group that did not receive the grant. Data on firm performance, firm characteristics and owner characteristics were collected in 13 survey waves from April 2005 to December 2010. Firm performance, which is measured by firm profit, is assessed by employing linear regression with fixed effects in an intention-to-treat analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that the business grant has a positive impact on the performance of male-owned firms, but zero effect on that of female-owned firms. Several potential mechanisms drive the results, including gender differences in business investment, household expenditure and initial business closures. The results also show a positive treatment effect of the business grant on the psychological recovery of recipients, but there is no evidence supporting gender differences in this dimension.
Contribution
This paper provides new evidence on gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance in the context of post-disasters, and has implications for business recovery programs aimed at supporting female microentrepreneurs in the aftermath of large-scale catastrophes.
WORKING PAPER
Are female-dominated cancers underfunded? (with Lídia Farré and Judit Vall)
[draft]
This paper has been presented at: IEB IWIP seminar (Barcelona, Spain); American-European Health Economics Study Group- VI Edition (presented by co-author, Barcelona, Spain); Midwest Health Economics Conference (Kansas, US); Applied young economists webinar (virtual); SAEe 2022 (Valencia, Spain); 3rd ECO-SOS Workshop on Economics and Sustainability (Reus, Spain)
ABSTRACT: This paper documents that female-dominated cancers, in which the number of male deaths is less than or equivalent to that of female deaths, are underfunded and tries to identify the mechanisms behind the unequal distribution of cancer research funding in Europe. We use two novel owned-collected datasets of projects related to cancer research and innovation awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) from 2007 to 2020, and by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) from 2007 to 2013 and the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Framework Programme from 2014 to 2020. Our analysis reveals that 10 percentage point increase in male relative mortality, which is measured by the ratio between male mortality and total mortality of each cancer type, is statistically significant associated with nearly 0.3% increase and 0.8% increase in the awarded research fund in the ERC dataset and the FP7 & H2020 dataset, respectively. This presents a 4,330 euro increase over the ERC sample mean and a 12,402 euro increase over the FP7 & H2020 sample mean. We provide some potential explanations of the unequal distribution of funding: (i) over-representation of male scholars in cancer research in Europe, who are less likely to work on female-dominated cancers; (ii) gender bias against women in the allocation of funds, who are more likely to lead female-dominated cancer projects; (iii) higher share of male members in the evaluation panel favors male-dominated cancer projects; and (iv) higher amount of resources devoted to male-dominated cancers due to their higher mortality.
SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS
Family Planning Use and Women’s Labor Market Outcomes
In 2007, Ethiopian government decided to remove the tax levied on contraceptive pills and empower the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency to enhance contraceptive procurement, distribution, and access. There has been a significant increase in demand for pills since 2007 in Ethiopia. In this project, I investigate the impact of this decision on women's labor market outcomes, such as employment, income and women empowerment. The project is in the data collection process.
Extended Maternity Leave and Children’s Long-term Educational Outcomes
In May 2013, Vietnamese government increased the duration of maternity leaves from 4 months to 6 months, which makes the country become one of the most generous countries for paid maternity leave. This project aims to explore the effect of extending maternity leaves on children's long-term educational outcomes. The project is in the data collection process.
DISCUSSIONS
"Can Effective Policy Implementation Alter Political Selection? Evidence From Female Legislators in India"
by S Anukriti (The World Bank), Rossella Calvi (Rice University), Abhishek Chakravarty (University of Manchester)
North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) Conference 2023 (November 2023)
[Discussion Slides]
"The Critical Role of Social Leaders in the Spread of Social Movements against Gender-Based Violence"
by Britta Rude (ifo Institute)
3rd ECO-SOS Workshop on Economics and Sustainability: Gender challenges (May 2023)
[Discussion Slides]
Unintended Consequences of CCT Programs on Gender Role Attitudes
[draft]
This paper has been presented at: IEB IWIP seminar (Barcelona, Spain); MSU Development Lunch (Michigan, US); NEUDC Harvard 2023 (Cambridge, US); Seminario MAP (online); MWIEDC Chicago (Chicago, US)
ABSTRACT: This paper explores the impact of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs on children's gender role attitudes, with a focus on Juntos, the largest CCT program in Peru. Using data from the Young Lives Survey and employing the fuzzy regression discontinuity design, I find that the program reinforces traditional gender role attitudes among children in beneficiary households. These attitudes align notably with children's behaviors, particularly among girls. Beneficiary girls allocate more daily time to caregiving and unpaid household labor, which, in turn, is associated with their lower test scores in reading and mathematics. Investigating potential mechanisms reveals that beneficiary mothers are more likely to prioritize their time on home production over paid work or self-employment. This shift in mother's time priority serves as a channel for perpetuating traditional gender role attitudes among children. By offering novel insights into the impact of social policies in a developing context, this paper contributes to our understanding of the complex relationship between policies and gender norms.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION
Luong H (2022) Business grants following natural disasters and their different impact on the performance of female and male-owned microenterprises: Evidence from Sri Lanka. PLOS ONE 17(12): e0279418.
ABSTRACT:
Objective
This paper investigates gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance following natural disasters, and seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the unequal effects.
Method
A panel data-set from an experiment in Sri Lanka is used to measure the difference in the treatment effects of a business grant on the performance of female and male-owned firms following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The sample of 608 microenterprises includes 297 female-owned firms and 311 male-owned firms. There are 338 firms (Male = 176, Female = 162) in the treatment group that received the grant and 270 firms (Male = 135, Female = 135) in the control group that did not receive the grant. Data on firm performance, firm characteristics and owner characteristics were collected in 13 survey waves from April 2005 to December 2010. Firm performance, which is measured by firm profit, is assessed by employing linear regression with fixed effects in an intention-to-treat analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that the business grant has a positive impact on the performance of male-owned firms, but zero effect on that of female-owned firms. Several potential mechanisms drive the results, including gender differences in business investment, household expenditure and initial business closures. The results also show a positive treatment effect of the business grant on the psychological recovery of recipients, but there is no evidence supporting gender differences in this dimension.
Contribution
This paper provides new evidence on gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance in the context of post-disasters, and has implications for business recovery programs aimed at supporting female microentrepreneurs in the aftermath of large-scale catastrophes.
WORKING PAPER
Are female-dominated cancers underfunded? (with Lídia Farré and Judit Vall)
[draft]
This paper has been presented at: IEB IWIP seminar (Barcelona, Spain); American-European Health Economics Study Group- VI Edition (presented by co-author, Barcelona, Spain); Midwest Health Economics Conference (Kansas, US); Applied young economists webinar (virtual); SAEe 2022 (Valencia, Spain); 3rd ECO-SOS Workshop on Economics and Sustainability (Reus, Spain)
ABSTRACT: This paper documents that female-dominated cancers, in which the number of male deaths is less than or equivalent to that of female deaths, are underfunded and tries to identify the mechanisms behind the unequal distribution of cancer research funding in Europe. We use two novel owned-collected datasets of projects related to cancer research and innovation awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) from 2007 to 2020, and by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) from 2007 to 2013 and the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Framework Programme from 2014 to 2020. Our analysis reveals that 10 percentage point increase in male relative mortality, which is measured by the ratio between male mortality and total mortality of each cancer type, is statistically significant associated with nearly 0.3% increase and 0.8% increase in the awarded research fund in the ERC dataset and the FP7 & H2020 dataset, respectively. This presents a 4,330 euro increase over the ERC sample mean and a 12,402 euro increase over the FP7 & H2020 sample mean. We provide some potential explanations of the unequal distribution of funding: (i) over-representation of male scholars in cancer research in Europe, who are less likely to work on female-dominated cancers; (ii) gender bias against women in the allocation of funds, who are more likely to lead female-dominated cancer projects; (iii) higher share of male members in the evaluation panel favors male-dominated cancer projects; and (iv) higher amount of resources devoted to male-dominated cancers due to their higher mortality.
SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS
Family Planning Use and Women’s Labor Market Outcomes
In 2007, Ethiopian government decided to remove the tax levied on contraceptive pills and empower the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency to enhance contraceptive procurement, distribution, and access. There has been a significant increase in demand for pills since 2007 in Ethiopia. In this project, I investigate the impact of this decision on women's labor market outcomes, such as employment, income and women empowerment. The project is in the data collection process.
Extended Maternity Leave and Children’s Long-term Educational Outcomes
In May 2013, Vietnamese government increased the duration of maternity leaves from 4 months to 6 months, which makes the country become one of the most generous countries for paid maternity leave. This project aims to explore the effect of extending maternity leaves on children's long-term educational outcomes. The project is in the data collection process.
DISCUSSIONS
"Can Effective Policy Implementation Alter Political Selection? Evidence From Female Legislators in India"
by S Anukriti (The World Bank), Rossella Calvi (Rice University), Abhishek Chakravarty (University of Manchester)
North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) Conference 2023 (November 2023)
[Discussion Slides]
"The Critical Role of Social Leaders in the Spread of Social Movements against Gender-Based Violence"
by Britta Rude (ifo Institute)
3rd ECO-SOS Workshop on Economics and Sustainability: Gender challenges (May 2023)
[Discussion Slides]