Published Work

Diffusion of Gender Norms: Evidence from Stalin’s Ethnic Deportations (with A. Jarotschkin and E. Zhuravskaya)

Forthcoming at the Journal of the European Economic Association, last version: March 2023. Slides.

Abstract: We study horizontal between-group cultural transmission using Stalin’s ethnic deportations as a historical experiment. Over 2 million Soviet citizens, mostly Germans and Chechens, were forcibly relocated from the western to eastern parts of the USSR during WWII solely based on ethnicity. As a result, the native population of the deportation destinations was exogenously exposed to groups with drastically different gender norms and behavior. We combine historical and contemporary data to document that present-day gender equality in labor force participation, business leadership, and fertility as well as pro-gender-equality attitudes are higher among local native population of deportation destinations with a larger presence of Protestant compared to Muslim deportees. The effects are stronger for culturally closer groups and when adopting deportee norms is less costly. The results cannot be explained by selection, vertical cultural transmission, or deportee impact on the local economy. The evidence strongly suggests that gender norms diffused horizontally from deportees to the local population through imitation and learning.
Keywords: Horizontal cultural transmission, Gender norms, Deportations, Stalin
JEL Classification: P00, Z12, Z13, J15, N44

Treating all children equally? Why policies should adapt to evolving patters of cohabitation (with O. Thévenon)

Chapter in the OUP Handbook Families Across Time - A Life Course Perspective (Published: 23 February 2023).

Abstract: Growing family complexity and diversity has increased uncertainty about family relationships and weakens the private safety net provided by families for their members. In order to respond to such uncertainty, it is necessary that the legal obligations of family members and the rules providing access to public benefits and safety nets are adapted to the diversity of family living arrangements. This chapter highlights challenges raised by the increasing informality and complexity of family living arrangements in ensuring that all children have equal access to the same level of social support. It discusses policy developments that can be adopted to ensure that parents of children in nontraditional family settings get access to social protections that fully suit their family living arrangements. Keywords: Family complexity; Family fluidity; Cohabitation; Registered partnership; Family policy

Working Papers

Small screen, big echo? Political persuasion of local TV news: evidence from Sinclair

Working paper, last version: November 2023. Slides.

Abstract: How does partisan local TV news impact political outcomes and opinions? I exploit a sudden change in content by a major broadcasting company in the United States, Sinclair Broadcast Group, to include a conservative slant in the run-up to the 2004 election. Consequently, in counties which experienced this change in slant, I document a 2.5%-point increase in the Republican presidential two-party vote share during the 2012 election, an effect that doubles during the 2016 and 2020 election. During this same period, there also Republican gains in Congress, while there are no pre-trends before the change in content. The effect is concentrated among “isolated” counties—proxied by population decline and the share of native-born and the non- college educated—in contrast to economic factors. Using a nationally representative survey of voters, I corroborate the county level findings: the probability of voting for the Republican (presidential and congressional) candidate in 2016 also increased. Additionally, I note a rise in (self-declared) xenophobic attitudes and tolerance for racial inequality among non-college-educated respondents, yet no increases in support for traditionally Republican policy positions or populist rhetoric. A series of robustness checks rule out competing explanations. Keywords: Election, Voting, Democracy, Broadcasting, Media, News
JEL Classification: D72, P16, L82

Economic effects of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate mitigation policies: A computable general equilibrium analysis (with J. Chateau and M. Borowiecki)

OECD Economics Department Working Paper, last version: November 2023.

Abstract: This study analyses the economic effects of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate mitigation policies using the OECD ENV-Linkage model, a dynamic, global Computable General Equilibrium model. The model projects macroeconomic, sectoral, energy and emission trends for the EU, and for the five largest EU economies separately, up to 2035. Policy scenarios combine carbon pricing with regulations to reach the ‘Fit For 55’ emission reduction target in 2030. Additional scenarios analyse i) harmonised carbon pricing across countries and sectors, ii) different forms of revenue recycling from carbon pricing, iii) the effect of the EU’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on competitiveness, and iv) the effect of Russia’s war against Ukraine on mitigation costs. Given the short time horizon of the analysis (until 2035), the model does not assess the positive economic benefits associated with fewer climate impacts and extreme climate events. ‘Fit for 55’ policies are projected to lead to a loss of GDP per capita of 2.1% in 2035 compared to the reference scenario (pre-‘Fit for 55’ policies), reflecting increasing production costs on the back of higher carbon pricing. Higher carbon pricing is also projected to lead to a loss of competitiveness in energy-intensive industries. The EU’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism may only partly mitigate the loss of competitiveness of energy-intensive industries. Harmonising carbon pricing across sectors would help limit the loss to GDP per capita, as a uniform carbon price is lower and allows for directing emission reduction efforts to sectors and countries with the lowest abatement costs. Finally, Russia’s war against Ukraine has not substantially increased the GDP costs of mitigation. Without the war, lower fossil fuel import prices would have led to higher fossil fuel demand, ultimately requiring more stringent mitigation action. Keywords: Climate change mitigation, European Union, Computable General Equilibrium Model, energy JEL Classification: C68; R48; Q48; H23; Q42; Q58

Digitalisation and the labour market: worker-level evidence from Slovenia (with M. Borowiecki and J. Høj)

OECD Economics Department Working Paper, last version: July 2023. Slides.

Abstract: This paper provides evidence on the effects of digitalisation on the labour market in Slovenia using a unique dataset of Slovenian workers and firms for the years 2016 to 2020. Results show that digitalisation– measured in terms of firm-level ICT investment, is associated with positive and statistically significant effects on firm’s employment. However, job growth is not evenly distributed: High-skilled workers and younger workers benefit the most from employment gains, whereas there is little to no employment increases for low- and medium-skilled workers and older workers aged 50 or more. Furthermore, employment effects from digitalisation are strongest for private manufacturing firms. In contrast, ICT investment by state-owned firms is not associated with employment gains.
Keywords: ICT investment, employment, wages, labour reallocation
JEL Classification: E22; E24; J62; O33

Policy Papers

Good Practice for Good Jobs in Early Childhood Education and Care (with C. Clarke)

OECD Policy Report, June 2019.

Abstract: Recruiting and retaining skilled staff is a long-standing challenge for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. OECD countries are increasingly demanding that ECEC staff be highly skilled and highly qualified, but a combination of low wages, a lack of status and public recognition, poor working conditions, and limited opportunities for professional development mean that recruitment and retention are frequently difficult. What can countries do to build a highly qualified and well-trained ECEC workforce? What is the best route to increasing staff skills without exacerbating staff shortages? How can countries boost pay and working conditions in the context of limited resources? Building on past OECD work on early childhood education and care, and drawing on the experience of OECD countries, this report outlines good practice policy measures for improving jobs in ECEC and for constructing a high-quality workforce.

Awards and Distinctions

EUR PjSE 35th Research Grant
- Paris School of Economics (2021-2022)
EUR PjSE 32nd Research Grant
- Paris School of Economics (2020-2021)
PjSE Doctoral Contract
- Paris School of Economics (2019-2021)
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, Masters
- French Foreign Ministry (2017-2018)
Commendation with Honors
- European Union Studies Center of California (Spring 2015)
Pomona College Scholar (Fall 2012, 2014 and Spring 2015)

Conferences and Invitations

Journées de Microéconomie Appliquée (June 2023)
Institute of Economics Barcelona Workshop on Political Economy (June 2023)
3rd Early Career QPE Workshop, King’s College London (May 2023)
ICM Dynamics-Global Workshop (May 2023)
Applied Economics Seminar at the Paris School of Economics (March 2023)
49th Annual Eastern Economic Association Meetings (February 2023)
ADRES Doctoral Conference (January 2023)
Brown Bag Seminar of the OECD (June 2022)
IÉSEG iFLAME Research Seminar (April 2022)
5th Economics of Media Bias Workshop (April 2022)
Paris Empirical Political Economy Junior Seminar (October 2021)
Ridge Summer School of the International Economic Association (July 2021)
43rd Spring Meeting of Young Economists (April 2019)
Women in Economics Conference, Université Saint Louis Bruxelles (November 2018)
Co-organiser of the “Women in Economics” Panel Discussion (April 2018)
- Interviewed professors and compiled student data (surveys and administrative) with the goal to start a conversation about gender inequality in the profession. (Link to videos).

Research