Working papers
“Daycare Accessibility and Maternal Labor Market Outcomes: Do Quality Ratings Matter?” (with Deborah Cobb-Clark and Hayley Fisher) [PDF]
Abstract: Using administrative data on the universe of Australian daycare centers, we examine the impact of daycare availability and quality ratings on childcare utilization and mothers’ labor market outcomes. Our generalized triple-difference estimation approach exploits spatial and temporal variation in daycare availability and quality ratings, leveraging the outcomes of school-aged children and their mothers for counterfactual comparisons. We document a substantial positive impact of daycare availability and higher quality ratings on the use of formal care and mothers’ employment and earnings. The effect of quality ratings is particularly pronounced among high-income, more-educated, and first-time mothers, whose perceptions of local daycare quality are most responsive to changes in ratings. Overall, our findings underscore the important roles of childcare quality, in addition to accessibility, in shaping families’ childcare choices and mothers’ employment decisions.
“Household Resources and Investments in Children’s Higher Education: The Role of Intra-Household Bargaining” [PDF]
Abstract: This paper studies the impact of improved women’s intra-household bargaining power on children’s university enrollment. Using survey data from Indonesia and a shift-share instrumental variable approach, I construct a measure of shocks to women’s outside options that are unrelated to indicators of household resources or children’s ability but significantly correlated with self-reported decision-making power among married women. I find that improvements in mothers’ bargaining power that coincide with children’s high school graduation significantly increase the likelihood of university enrollment for both sons and daughters, with effects more pronounced among households that are less likely to face short-term binding resource constraints. These results underscore the importance of accounting for intra-household bargaining dynamics and spousal differences in demand for children’s education when interpreting the effects of household resources on higher education participation.
“The Local Economic Impact of International Students: Evidence from US Commuting Zones” [PDF]
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of international students on local labor markets and establishments in the United States. Identification rests on a shift-share instrument strategy that exploits supply-driven changes in foreign enrollments in non-US destinations. One additional student per thousand residents increases the employment-to-population ratio by 0.19 percentage points and average hourly wages by 0.48 percent. Local demand shocks induced by an increase in enrollment also lead to substantial labor reallocations toward potentially more productive establishments, particularly within non-tradable industries. These findings highlight important economic benefits from international students through increased local income and aggregate productivity.
“Parental Risk Preferences, Intra-household Decision Making, and Investments in Children’s Higher Education: Evidence from Indonesia”
Abstract: This paper examines parents’ investments in children’s education in the presence of uncertainty in returns and intra-household heterogeneity in parental risk preferences. Consistent with a Chiappori-type collective model of household decision making, I find that both fathers’ and mothers’ risk aversion significantly decrease children’s tendency to enroll in higher education, although the effects depend critically on the distribution of intra-household bargaining power. Additional results show that parental risk aversion also affects children’s labor market entry upon high school graduation. These findings highlight the roles of parental risk preferences and intra-household bargaining dynamics as important mechanisms that contribute to intergenerational persistence in economic outcomes.
Work-in-Progress
“From Risk to Resilience: A Multi-Level Field Experiment to Prevent Adolescent Gambling and Drug Use in Bangladesh” (with Deborah Cobb-Clark, Shyamal Chowdhury, and Sally Gainsbury)
“Daycare Quality and Child Development: How Much Can We Trust Quality Ratings?”