This paper estimates the effect of expanding free healthcare on fertility and sex-selective behavior in a context with strong son preference. I examine the roll-out of 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 increased use of prenatal care and ultrasound screening following the policy, consistent with greater access to sex-selective abortion.  Proximity to newly enrolled facilities is also an important channel: leveraging the staggered roll-out of hospital enrollment, I show that women who newly gain access to a nearby free facility experience larger declines in fertility.  The policy also led to a decline in female infant mortality, consistent with a shift from postnatal to prenatal sex selection. These findings highlight that gender-blind policies can have unintended consequences that depend critically on the social context in which they are implemented: in contexts with strong son preference, expanding access to formal healthcare can inadvertently enable sex-selective behavior by shaping how women interact with newly accessible medical services.

Presented at: Harvard Development Lunch, 2026; Harvard CID Research Xchange; NEEPC at Brown University

Armenia and Azerbaijan, engaged in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, are known for their strong son preference and widespread use of abortion. In such a peculiar setting, we ask: does ethnic conflict affect son preference? By merging Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data with two different sources of conflict-related casualties, we investigate the effect of ethnic conflict on fertility decisions. To do so, we leverage variations in geographic and temporal exposure to conflict-related violence in the context of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994), alongside variation in the gender composition of children between families. We find that families with only daughters exposed to conflict increase their fertility in the very short term. Furthermore, our analysis of births by gender reveals that this result is driven by the birth of sons. Conflict intensifies son preference, manifesting in son-targeted fertility behavior and sex-selective abortions. Lastly, we identify child replacement as a mechanism contributing to the increase in fertility, driven primarily by the replacement of male children. 

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 trainings 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 target group consists of highly educated women undergoing the transition from university education to the job market in Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 1,101 learners were recruited and randomly assigned to treatment and control groups through stratified randomization based on graduation status and preferences on the session time of the day. We distribute free hemoglobin tests to the participants in both the treated and control groups. Despite a low usage of the free hemoglobin tests for both the treatment and control groups, we find that the training increases hemoglobin test uptake. Moreover, we find significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the treated group.

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.