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Reposted by Eleonora Guarnieri

Matthew Collins @collinsmatthew.bsky.social · Jul 16

Free Primary Education is widely seen as a tool to promote long-term growth, but in a new working paper (🚨),
@eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social, Helmut Rainer and I show that the effects are more immediate and wide-reaching, with FPE leading to reduced fertility and greater female empowerment.

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AEA Journals @aeajournals.bsky.social · May 14

When ethnic groups within countries become more culturally distant from those holding power in the central government, their likelihood of rebelling increases significantly. We spoke with @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social of @bristoluni.bsky.social about why such conflicts arise. #econsky

The cultural roots of rebellion

Eleonora Guarnieri discusses the role of cultural distance in driving civil conflict in Africa.

www.aeaweb.org

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

@valderfranziska.bsky.social asks what drives gender differences in health. Her evidence from Denmark points to an important role of providers: women are less likely to be prescribed lifesaving drugs, but can improve their outcomes when they change doctors.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

@erikapoveag.bsky.social studies the impact of violent crime on education. As organized crime surges in Ecuador, school dropout rates rise. Children aged 11–14 are most affected, not due to fewer resources, but to fear and instability.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

We continue with Ellen Greaves (@uofebusiness.bsky.social). She shows that better schools don't always boost nearby home prices. Her work shows the "school premium" only appears when the alternative is a clearly worse school.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

@farahzadishadi.bsky.social shows that after 9/11, intermarriage rates for American Muslims dropped sharply—driven more by changing preferences among non-Muslim Americans than Muslims themselves.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

The day concludes with Bin Huang (@econ.uzh.ch). He shows that in Mao-era China, forced integration reduced trust and growth. But decades later, the same villages built stronger, more productive ties. Institutions turned diversity from a burden to an asset.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 9

We kick off the last day of BÆM 2025 with @caterinapavese.bsky.social. She uses data from the Netherlands to show that early integration boosts cultural assimilation but can hurt education—especially for disadvantaged children.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 9

Do classmates with disabilities affect learning outcomes? @sofiasierrav.bsky.social studies this question in Chile. Students in inclusive classrooms show slightly lower test scores but the impact varies by disability type and is eased when teachers stay with the same class over time.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 9

@giuliaferrero.bsky.social shows the sex preferences of parents in a war setting. Her results suggest that families exposed to ethnic conflict had more children if they only had daughters. The war amplified sex-selective fertility and abortions, revealing how violence shapes family choices.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 9

Oleksandra Cheipesh (@uc3meconomics.bsky.social) shows that media role models matter, even in childhood. In early-2000s Ukraine, girls with more exposure to female-led animated series later pursued more education and STEM—and both boys and girls held fewer gender stereotypes.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

Alessandro Toppeta (@sofi.su.se) shows that more school isn't always better: in Sweden, teens randomly tested after holidays show stronger non-cognitive skills, especially those from wealthier families. More breaks may boost development, but they risk widening inequality.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

Our keynote speaker Michèle Tertilt (@econunimannheim.bsky.social) provides a fascinating overview of the economics of women’s rights. Her findings illustrate the importance of economic forces for rights expansions, but also how the impact of these forces varies with culture.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

We continue with @leitemariante.bsky.social. Do unconditional cash transfers discourage work? Not for women in Brazil. A boost in benefits led more mothers to join the labor force, especially when it helps easing childcare burdens.

Paper: drive.google.com/file/d/1ksDE...

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

@saraspaziani.bsky.social shows that gender quotas in Italian governments boosted female representation, and over time, strongly increased access to anti-violence services. Political representation can help to reduce gender-based violence.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

Why do sons more often take over the family firm than daughters? Using rich Finnish data, @cipriandomnisoru.bsky.social shows the gender gap starts early—with son-biased fertility, unequal grooming. Norms vary strongly by industry.

Paper: docs.iza.org/dp17800.pdf

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

First up is Anna Hochleitner (@nhhecon.bsky.social). Using academic reference letters and two experiments, Anna shows that recommendation letters for women emphasize effort over ability, shaping hiring decisions. Recruiters often don’t realize the bias, undermining diversity efforts.

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Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

Day 3 of the 2025 Bristol Applied Economics Meetings (BÆM)! After two fantastic days on development economics, we continue with the meeting on “Gender, Diversity, and Human Capital”. Stay tuned for some excellent papers!

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Thanks to all the participants for a fantastic development economics workshop!

The 2025 Bristol Applied Economics Meetings (BÆM) are not over yet. Tomorrow we continue with the meeting on “Gender, Diversity, and Human Capital.” www.baem.info

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Last up is Devesh Rustagi @warwickecon.bsky.social showing that managing the commons may require both formal rules and civic capital. In managing forests in Ethiopia, combining civic capital with rules deters free-riding and improves cooperation.

Paper: drive.google.com/file/d/1u1lF...

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Do training and data provision help local decision-makers target beneficiaries of social policies? Not necessarily. @violaasri.bsky.social finds that targeting in Bangladesh only improved along easily observable traits, and if committees had educated chairs.

Paper: docs.iza.org/dp17365.pdf

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Can public infrastructure investments boost tax morale? @climent.bsky.social shows that randomized street paving in Mexico increased local tax compliance by 5.5% via both public goods provision and improved beliefs about government efficiency.

Paper: econ.hkust.edu.hk/sites/econom...

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Jorge Garcia Hombrados presents evidence from Nigeria that fast internet reduces female genital mutilation. Not by spreading anti-FGM content, but by reshaping women’s broader identity with less stigma around promiscuous behaviors and premarital sex.

Paper: docs.iza.org/dp17194.pdf

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 7

Karmini Sharma shows that job seekers in India would trade 5-13% of their salary for safety from anti-sexual harassment. But firms misjudge both anti-harassment legislation and worker demand and underinvest in such amenities, even after being provided with more information.

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Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 6

Does mass media shape identity? @deanyang.bsky.social presents evidence that the Ramayan TV show, a popular adaptation of the Hindu epic broadcast in India in 1987-88, led to stronger Hindu identity, more communal violence, and long-run BJP electoral gains.

Paper: www.nber.org/system/files...

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