Research

Working Papers:


This study examines the impact of financial distress within households on the incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. By leveraging the timing of bank closures and fixed wage payment schedules, we identify months when households are likely forced to stretch their finances longer than expected. Exploiting the exogeneity of these occurrences and using monthly records from the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), we demonstrate that these relatively minor finan- cial shocks significantly increase the probability of women experiencing IPV. We further provide evidence of worsened conditions in households during these periods by docu- menting changes in their behavior. Using Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) data, we show that households reduce their expenditures on food and leisure during periods of financial stretch. Additionally, using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data, we find an increase in time devoted to consumption research and a decrease in time devoted by women to unnecessary spending due to financial distress. We also observe that spouses spend more time together, particularly with their children, during these periods.


We estimate the impact of sentencing severity on the dynamics of domestic violence. The study uses ten years of merged individual-level administrative registers on domestic violence cases brought to the police and family linkages for Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Leveraging Brazil’s “Lei do Feminic ́ıdio”, which was implemented in March 2015 to include the crime of “femicide” in the Brazilian penal law, we find that sentencing severity significantly affects the behavior of both offenders and victims of domestic violence. While the policy change seemingly deterred potential offenders by reducing the incidence of domestic violence, victims of domestic violence became more likely to ask for protective measures and more reluctant to press charges against their abusive partners, as a framework of compensating mechanisms would predict. For a policymaker seeking to design effective sentences to combat domestic violence, the tension between these outcomes appears critical.


In this paper, I analyze how off-school time use shapes children’s academic achievement using a unique dataset on Turkish children aged 8-12. With a rich set of variables, such as cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics of children, parenting styles, and teaching styles, I establish significant gender differences in off-school time allocation, with girls spending more time on chores and study and less on play. Then, I estimate an education production function with time-use variables as inputs. An extra hour spent on house chores is associated with a significant reduction in both math (0.042sd) and verbal test scores (0.025sd). These numbers are instead 0.027sd and 0.03sd for an extra hour of playtime. I also document a gender math gap favoring boys of 0.171 sd. This gap is likely due to different uses of time and different returns to playtime across genders.


This study investigates the effect of increasing female representation in executive positions within local governments on municipal expenses and the provision of public social services. We leverage a 2014 reform in Italy that mandated 40% gender quotas in the executive councils of municipalities with more than 3000 inhabitants. Introducing quotas for executives represents a novel and interesting setting, as these figures might have more influence over administration and budgeting than other council members. To isolate the impact of gender quotas from other policies active at the same population cutoff, we employ a difference-in-discontinuities approach. Our findings reveal that the policy effectively increases female representation in local governments, aligning with its objectives. We find that the increased presence of women in decision-making roles decreases current expenses per resident, spanning various categories of expenditures. In particular, it decreases current expenses in culture and environment. Furthermore, the composition of expenditures changes significantly in favor of preschool and school expenditures. This suggests that including women in executive roles can influence the allocation of municipal resources.


Work in Progress: