Ongoing Research

1. Persistence of Origin-Based Social Norms Among Migrants with Naira Kalra and Oyebola Okunogbe: Investigating the enduring influence of origin-based norms on intimate partner violence (IPV) among migrant couples in India, we find the stickiness of deep-rooted norms influencing migrant couples’ IPV behaviors. (Working paper available upon request)

2. Effects of Labor Market Exposure on Transition After High School with Emma Zhang: Exploring the impact of early labor market exposure via short internships on low-income high school students. This research is pivotal in reshaping educational and labor policies, especially for economically marginalized groups.

3. Gendered Attitudes Towards Financial Risk: Gain Preferences versus Loss Aversion with Emma Zhang: Delving into gender-specific financial behaviors, and emphasizing reactions to potential losses versus gains, the findings help us understand and address gender disparities in financial decision-making landscapes.

4. Effects of Poor Oral Health on Systemic Health Outcomes: Examining the broader health and socio-economic repercussions of oral health disparities, with potential implications for labor and healthcare policies as well as public awareness of oral health.

Past Research

Development Impact Evaluation (DIME), World Bank, Washington, DC:

• Impact of Safety Technology on Women’s Labor Force Participation: with Girija Borker (Jul 2019- Jul 2020). A randomized controlled trial in India with approximately 6000 participants to determine the efficacy of safety technology while commuting in enhancing labor force participation for women.

• Evaluating Social Costs of Road Traffic Crashes: with Théophile Bougna and Peter Taniform (Jul 2018- Jul 2019). In this paper, published in Accident Analysis & Prevention (Vol. 165, pp. 106282), we reviewed the socio-economic costs associated with road traffic crashes. We compared the willingness-to-pay (WTP) and human capital (HC) methodologies, revealing that WTP-based analyses typically estimate socio-economic costs that are approximately 1% higher as a percentage of GDP than those using the HC approach.

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA:

• Long-Term Recidivism Rates as a Risk Factor: with Alfred Blumstein (Aug 2017- Jul 2018). Analyzed long-term recidivism patterns by computing the hazard function from rap sheets data, exploring the racial disparities in arrest.

• Combatting Illicit Wildlife Trafficking Through Open-Source Data: with Jonathan Caulkins (Aug 2017- Jan 2018). Led a multidisciplinary team to automate open-source data collection, mapping corruption patterns related to illicit wildlife trafficking. The project culminated in an extensive research report for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), emphasizing the corruption-wildlife trafficking nexus and offering policy recommendations.

• Racial Disproportionality in US State Prisons: assisted Allen J Beck and Alfred Blumstein (Oct 2016- Jul 2017). Analyzed racial and ethnic differences in criminal involvement, arrests, sentencing, and time served in US state prisons. The study, published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology (Vol. 34, pp. 853-883), critically assessed racial disproportionality indicators and provided insights into potential discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system. The research utilized self-reported racial identity data and assessed accountability for individual states and regions, contributing significantly to the discourse on racial disparities in the justice system.