This paper estimates the effect of expanding free healthcare on fertility and sex-selective behavior in a context with strong son preference. I examine a government program that provided free healthcare to low-income households in the state of Rajasthan, India. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I show that the policy reduced fertility by 14% among eligible women. This decline is accompanied by a disproportionate reduction in female births, consistent with increased sex-selective behavior. I find that this is driven in part by changes in prenatal healthcare seeking behavior and ultrasound screening following the policy, consistent with greater access to sex-selective abortion. 

Presented at: 6th Discrimination and Diversity Workshop, University of Exeter; Harvard Development Lunch; Harvard CID Research Xchange; NEEPC at Brown University

 Armenia and Azerbaijan have experienced rising sex selection since the late 1980s, coinciding with the onset of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In a setting marked by strong son preference and widespread reliance on abortion, we ask whether this conflict contributed to the rise in sex selection. We merge DHS data with two sources of conflict-related casualties, UCDP data and a newly digitized dataset of Armenian soldiers, to investigate the effect of ethnic conflict on fertility decisions. To do so, we leverage variation in the geographic and temporal exposure to conflict-related violence during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994), alongside variation in the gender composition of children across families. We find that families with only daughters increase their fertility in the very short run following conflict exposure, and that this response is driven entirely by the birth of sons. Conflict thus intensifies son preference, manifesting in son-targeting fertility behavior and sex-selective abortion. We discuss three mechanisms: a marriage squeeze, child replacement among families who lost a son during the war and a broader identity-related motive.

Awarded the Grigor Artsruni Award at the Armenian Economic Association Conference in Yerevan

Presented at: Harvard Development Lunch, 2026; SAEe 2026 Symposium of the Spanish Economic Association (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona); 5th DevEconMeet, 2025 (University of Florence); Fragile Lives* 2025 (International Security and Development Center); ArmEA 2025 (American University of Armenia); 2025 Mend the Gap in Economic Opportunities in Europe and Central Asia (World Bank, Axa Gender Lab at Bocconi University & EIEF); 2025 BAEM (Bristol Applied Economics Meetings) Workshop on Gender, Diversity and Human Capital*; 2024 FROGEE Academic Conference (SSE);  IELM-DD Internal Seminar  (Centre d' Économie  de la Sorbonne) 

*indicates presentation by co-author

Can training improve anemia prevention in India? We conduct a randomized controlled trial to test a novel intervention for increasing anemia knowledge, attitudes, practices, and testing behavior. We design and integrate a training on anemia into an existing soft skills training program. The study focuses on university educated women in Uttar Pradesh, India, transitioning from higher education to the labor market, having either recently graduated or being close to graduation. A total of 1,101 learners were recruited and randomly assigned to treatment and control groups through stratified randomization based on employment status and preferences on the session day. During the course of the training, we distribute free hemoglobin tests to the participants in both the treated and control groups. We find significant improvements in anemia-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, but the intervention fails to translate knowledge to action, as we find no significant differences between treated and control groups on the use of the free testing voucher. 

Presented at: CLOSER, University of Turin, 2025 

This paper investigates how a mother's well-being during her first experience of motherhood influences both her desire and likelihood of having a second child. Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, the emotional state of mothers when their first child is approximately 9 months old is examined across four key areas: emotional support from their partner, life satisfaction, frequent tiredness, and experiences of misery or depression. The findings indicate that partner support and life satisfaction positively affect both the desire for a second child and the likelihood of having one, as shown by longitudinal data. The study also explores how these emotional states are shaped by broader life contexts, including work conditions, financial concerns, and the partner’s involvement in domestic and caregiving responsibilities.