Research

My research interest are in applied microeconomics economics and rigorous evaluation based on econometric theory. My current research studies the bi-directional relationship between poverty and mental health. In addition, I am interested in the dynamics of poverty and the interaction of psychology, decision-making, and poverty traps.

I am interested in collaboration on different topics related to poverty; health and well-being; crime and violence; behavioral and experimental economics; applied econometrics; urban and labor economics. Feel free to contact me!

Google Scholar Page.

Peer-reviewed articles:

  • Social Protection Amid a Crisis: New Evidence from South Africa’s Older Person’s Grant. Accepted at The World Bank Economic Review
    (with Jeffrey Bloem & Jonathan Malacarne)—access here. Latest draft available here.

  • Income, Psychological Well-being, and the Dynamics of Poverty. Accepted at Economic Development and Cultural Change
    —Final draft available here.
  • Income Improves Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from South Africa (2023). Economic Development and Cultural Change 71(2)
    (with Steve Wu)—access here. Final draft available here.
  • Neighborhood Violence, Poverty, and Psychological Well-being (2022). Journal of Development Economics (154) 102756
    (with Jeffrey Bloem)––access here.
  • The Psychological Toll of Food Insecurity (2022). Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (204) 618-630
    (with Jeffrey Bloem)—access here.
  • Do Shocks and Environmental Factors Shape Personality Traits? Evidence from the Ultra-Poor in Uganda (2022). Journal of Development Studies.
    (with Sikhar Mehra and Yaniv Stopnitzky)—access here.
  • Economic Life in Refugee Camps (2017). World Development (95) 334-347
    (with J. Ed Taylor, Anubhab Gupta, Irvin Rojas, & Ernesto Gonzalez)—access here.
  • Economic Impact of Refugees (2016). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(27) 7449–7453
    (with J. Ed Taylor, Mateusz Filipski, Anubhab Gupta, Irvin Rojas, & Ernesto Gonzalez)—open access here.
  • Informality and Exclusion: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee data for Lebanon and Syria (2013). IZA Journal of Labor Policy 2(18)
    (with Roberta Gatti, Joana Silva, & Carole Chartouni)—open access here.

Working Papers

  • Cash Transfers and Corporal Punishment (with Susan Godlonton and Emily Conover).
    • R&R. Draft available here (updated October 2023).
  • The Health Effects of In Utero Exposure to Cash Transfers (with Syeda Warda Riaz).
    • Under Review. Draft available here (updated January 2024).
  • Empirical Detection of Poverty Traps and Unnecessary Deprivation (with Michael Carter).
    • Draft available here (updated October 2023).
  • On the Definition and Estimation of Economic Resilience using Counterfactuals (with Michael Carter).
    • Draft available here (updated November 2023)

Ongoing projects:

Cash Transfers and Postpartum Depression (with Syeda Warda Riaz & Jeff Bloem)

Psychological Resilience and Poverty Dynamics

Unconditional Cash Transfers and Parental Engagement with Children