Research
Research Papers
The Impact of School Spending on Civic Engagement: Evidence from School Finance Reforms
with Eric Brunner and Stephen Ross (Revise and Resubmit: Journal of Urban Economics)
Abstract: A primary rationale for public financing of schools is that education fosters civic engagement.
However, virtually all studies focus on educational attainment and political activity. We provide evidence on
how school spending affects volunteerism and voting. Exploiting variation in U.S. court-ordered and legislative
school finance reforms and using data from the National Education Longitudinal Studies: NELS 1988, ELS
2002, and HSLS 2009, we find that exogenous increases in school spending led to increases in the probability
that young adults volunteer and the amount of time they spend volunteering. In contrast, we find little evidence
that school spending impacts voting.
The Effect of Compulsory Education on Age at First Marriage and Teenage Fertility: Evidence from a Difference-in-Discontinuity Design (Revise and Resubmit): Education Finance and Policy)
Abstract: Using a difference-in-discontinuity research design I examine the causal effect of Turkey’s 1997 increase in the mandatory years of schooling on teenage pregnancy and women’s age at first marriage. The design uses a narrower bandwidth to minimize bias, eliminates effects associated with reform timing (such as January and December births), and ensures that all cohorts are included in the sample to obtain representative estimates of the population. My findings show that increasing mandatory schooling from five to eight years substantially increases women’s educational attainments and improves their labor market outcomes in their twenties, shown primarily in a reduction of employment within the agricultural sector. The increase in education is also associated with a decrease in teenage pregnancy before late adolescence and an increase in age at first marriage. The effect of education on fertility vanishes after age 19, however, consistent with the increased rates of high school graduation having incapacitation effects.
Covid-19 Lockdown and Infant Mortality: Evidence from India with Shatakshee Dhongde and Abu
Shonchoy (Revise and Resubmit: Journal of Health Economics)
Abstract: Using nationally representative data from India, we document the first survey-based evidence of
the unintended consequences of lockdown on neonatal mortality in a developing country. Event-study shows
neonatal mortality significantly increased during the first nationwide lockdown and became insignificant one month
later. The difference-indifference estimates show neonatal mortality increased to 47 from 30 per 1,000
births during the lockdown. Negative in-utero exposure, forgone healthcare (through service interruption and
avoidance), and delaying vaccinations are crucial impact mechanisms. Our findings stimulate the debate on the
efficacy of strict lockdown, its duration, and missing policy directives in resource-poor countries, particularly
for the care-dependent population.
Big Sisters and Risky Sexual Behaviors with Jorge M. Agüero (Rejected with detailed revision: Journal of Development Economics)
Abstract: We study the effect of having an older sister on the risky sexual behaviors of younger women in
Sub-Saharan Africa. We rely on the randomness of the sex of the firstborn and show that having a big sister,
vis–vis a big brother, leads to safer sexual behaviors. Big sisters also increase their younger sister’s knowledge
about sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive methods. We show that a possible mechanism is the
parental role that big sisters have, as documented by anthropologists. Effects are larger in conservative societies
making big sisters a source of knowledge when access to public information is restricted.
Multidimensional Economic Hardships during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the United States with
Shatakshee Dhongde and Roshani Bulkunde
Abstract: In this paper, we measure multidimensional hardships experienced by Americans during the Covid-
19 pandemic. We use the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Household Economics and Decision-making to
compile data on self-reported economic hardships such as inability to pay bills, unemployment, and inability
to afford health care. We find that during the pandemic, 28 percent or almost 1 in 3 adults experienced
multiple hardships. We measure inter temporal movement in and out of hardships by building a panel within
SHED with nearly 900 respondents between 2018 and 2021. Our results underscore the fact that the pandemic
compounded hardships experienced by Americans and left a long-lasting impact on their well-being.
Other Projects in Progress
• “School Funding and Civic Engagement: An Examination of California’s Local Control Funding” with
Benjamin Scafidi and John Thompson
• “School Funding and Students’ Short- and Long-Term Outcomes: An Examination of Texas’s School
Finance Reform” with Gregory Phelan and John Thompson
• “The Impact of School Spending on Child Poverty: Evidence from School Finance Reforms” with Shatakshee
Dhongde
• “Maternity Leave Policy and Child Health in India” with Shatakshee Dhongde, and Le Wang
• “The Impact of School Spending on Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from School Finance Reforms”
with Shatakshee Dhongde
• Mandatory HPV Vaccination and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Adolescents
• The Impact School Spending on Adolescents Risky Behaviors: Evidence from School Finance Reforms