I am a Research Associate in Causal Inference & Health Technology Assessment at the University of Sheffield. Here you can find my CV.
I received my PhD in Economics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow in 2024. I hold an MSc in Economics from the University of Edinburgh. My research interests lie in applied microeconomics, labour economics, health, education, and experimental economics.
Working Papers
Income Inequality and Peer Effects in Education (with Marco Fongoni, Jonathan Norris, and Agnese Romiti). Under review. [ Abstract | IZA Working Paper | Draft ]
We study the long-run effects of income inequality within peer compositions. An increase in the share of low-income peers within school-cohorts improves the educational outcomes of low-income students and negatively affects high-income students. We show this pattern is not likely explained by commonly observed mechanisms. We then propose a model based on reference-dependent preferences and social comparison that rationalizes our findings, highlighting the role of frustration or motivation depending on students' relative income. We also provide evidence consistent with this mechanism. Finally, we show that better connections in school can help to avoid such unintended consequences of income inequality.
Beliefs on Children’s Human Capital Accumulation and Mothers at Work (with Césarine Boinet, Jonathan Norris, Agnese Romiti, and Paul Telemo). Under review. [ Abstract | IZA Working Paper | Draft ]
Mothers may face pressure to sort out of the labor market from perceptions that women have an absolute advantage in child-rearing even when their earnings potential equals that of men. Guided by a simple model, we use a survey experiment where we equalize earnings potential across gender and show that women are perceived to hold an absolute advantage in child-rearing. We then experimentally test mechanisms that may underlie these beliefs, finding that mothers are expected to spend more time on skill investments with their children than are men who have equivalent time available. Finally, we conduct an experiment providing factual information on the performance of children when mothers work full-time, showing that beliefs update toward accurate perceptions and a reduction in the expected harm to the child. Our results suggest beliefs on absolute advantage matter for the efficacy of policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap and a role for policy to target channels where individual’s may be misinformed on children’s outcomes when mothers maintain careers.
The One-Child Policy in China and its Intergenerational Effects on Health (with Thi Tham Ta). Under review. [ Abstract | Draft ]
We study the spillover effects of China's one-child policy on the health outcomes of subsequent generations. Despite extensive research on the effects of family size on education, few studies have examined the policy's effects on health, especially across generations. Focusing on urban Han Chinese from the China Family Panel Studies data, we use a reduced form regression discontinuity design (RDD) to isolate the local average treatment effect of the policy. The results indicate that children of policy-affected parents show significant improvements in physical and mental health, which can be attributed to increased parental investment and care and improved parental health outcomes. Our findings contribute to the literature on the intergenerational transmission of health and quantity-quality trade-offs, and highlight how family planning policies can have lasting health effects across generations.
Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Mental Health (with Daniel Borbely, Otto Lenhart, Jonathan Norris, and Agnese Romiti). [ Abstract ]
Recreational marijuana legalization broadens access to consumption, but younger adults consume more post-legalization, at a time when neurological development is still active and marijuana can interact with mood regulation. How legalization affects mental health, activity, and labor market outcomes therefore likely depends on the ages of those consuming. We study this question using a difference-in-differences strategy on state-year-age group panel data from 2002–2024 across US states. Our results reveal asymmetric effects across the age distribution. Post-legalization, young adults under 25 experience more poor mental health days, reduce exercise participation, and become more likely to experience prolonged unemployment spells exceeding one year. Adults over 50 do not experience changes in mental health but report less joint pain, exercise more often, and show suggestive income gains. These opposing effects cancel in the aggregate, producing a null average effect that masks meaningful consequences at each end of the age distribution. Our evidence indicates that the effects of recreational marijuana laws are age-dependent, with young adults particularly vulnerable to harmful outcomes.
This paper investigates the role of face-to-face and social interactions in academic settings in contributing to (or mitigating) gender differences in academic productivity. Our focus is on academic conferences: a setting that represents a specific opportunity for academics to meet in person. In exploiting a “natural experiment” - the last-minute cancellation of a very large conference - we have showed distinct conference benefits in terms of developing and advertising papers presented, and in authors’ forming new collaborations. This paper provides evidence that conference benefits are shaped by gender dynamics. Men are more likely to form academic collaborations and receive citations. Moreover, the gender of the discussant plays a crucial role in determining an article’s citation impact four years after the conference. Our findings suggest that both male and female presenters benefit more when paired with discussants of the same gender. We also explore the mechanisms driving these gendered effects.
Breastfeeding improves child and maternal outcomes, but it may also carry labor-market costs for mothers. This paper examines whether women hold accurate beliefs about benefits and costs of breastfeeding and whether evidence-based information can change these beliefs and breastfeeding intentions. We design and implement a survey experiment for women in the UK. We first elicit prior beliefs on the effects of breastfeeding on child health, child cognitive outcomes, maternal health, and maternal labor market outcomes. We then randomize participants to receive targeted information treatments based on existing evidence. We document substantial baseline misperceptions. Providing information leads to meaningful belief updating and improves belief accuracy. Responses are strongest among women with lower confidence in their prior beliefs and among those who initially underestimate the effects. We also find increases in breastfeeding intentions and intended duration, suggesting that information interventions may be a powerful policy tool for influencing breastfeeding behavior.
