Research

Job Market Paper

• The Effect of the Right to Education Act in India on Fertility Behaviors and Marriage Characteristics (Draft available upon request)

  Abstract

  This paper exploits an education policy in India generated by a 2010 schooling reform to examine the effect of education on women's family planning decisions. The key element of the reform was that it required students to complete eight years of primary education (age 6-14 years). An instrumental variable difference-in-difference approach is used that measures the exogenous variation in treatment intensity in different states across birth cohorts measured by birth year and birth months. The reform led to an increase in education, a delay in marriage, postponing sexual activity and reduced fertility beginning at the age of 22. The paper also examines the pathways through which increased education affects fertility. The findings suggest early use of modern contraceptives, reduction in the marital education gap, increased literacy and utilization of healthcare services contribute to reduced fertility. These results are consistent with women having greater control over their fertility decision and increased empowerment thereby highlighting the importance of the policy efforts of the government to employ in their effort to promote education.

Working Papers

• Exchange Rate Volatility and International Students’ Educational Choice: Evidence from US (Draft available upon request)

  Abstract

  Does the economic situation prevailing in the home country of an international student affect his/her educational choice in the US? To address this question, I use exchange rates as an exogenous price shocks to the international students’ budget constraint to pay for higher education in the host country. To theorize, in response to changes in real exchange rates, how the foreign students’ demand for US higher education is affected is studied in this paper. I present a theoretical model to understand the migration and enrollment decisions of international students in the US institutions when exchange rates fluctuate and test it empirically. For estimation, data from several sources for 2000-2020 time-period is used. I find that the international undergraduate enrollment decreases as price of education increases due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. As undergraduate students have to bear their entire cost of education, so a strong US currency creates a burden on their finances thereby reducing enrollments. However, the same relationship doesn't hold true for graduate enrollment indicating that foreign students are less sensitive to changes in prices of education caused by exchange rates volatility. The paper also exploits other macroeconomic indicators and availability of substitutes in the home country that affects foreign demand for US higher education.

• The Effect of Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Insurance Coverage by the US Natives and Immigrants (Draft available upon request)

  Abstract

  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 included an expansion of Medicaid public health insurance to more low income individuals beginning in 2014. The ACA aimed to achieve nearly universal health insurance coverage in the United States through a combination of mandates, regulations on insurers, expanding Medicaid subsidies and health insurance exchanges, most of which took effect in 2014. This paper estimates the effects of the ACA on health insurance coverage using data from the American Community Survey (ACS) by utilizing difference-in-difference-in-differences model that exploit cross-sectional variation in the intensity of treatment arising from state participation in the Medicaid expansion in 2014 and comparing the effects among natives and immigrants. This study contributes to understand the limits of the ACA in reducing disparities in insurance coverage and exploring how patterns of coverage differ for different sources of insurance among the natives and immigrants. It is observed that the gap is lower in magnitude between the natives and immigrants in terms of public and Medicaid insurance coverage after the ACA implementation.

• Underemployed Worker’s Health: Evidence from States’ Minimum Wage Levels with Soumak Basumallik (Draft available upon request)

  Abstract

  Global labor markets in the US have noticeably seen the rise of different forms of non‐standard work arrangements characterized by variable work schedules, reduced job security, lower wages, hazards at the workplace and stressful psycho-social working conditions since the early 1970s. Traditional non-standard work arrangements can be classified by part-time and precarious employment positions and a staggering 4.8 million American workers are a part of these employment practices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2019 reported that these non- standard jobs are mostly characterized by low wage and no benefits, and this type of work arrangments leave many workers mentally and physically exhausted leading to adverse health consequences. Using data from the 2009-18 years of the Current Population Survey (CPS) we investigate whether minimum wage increases in the US have any impact on precarious and part-time workers between 15 to 85 years of age. The results obtained suggests that increasing minimum wage have no effect on difficulty in remembering, having a disability limiting mobility and having any limitations to personal care for these workers. However, we do find strong evidence of minimum wage increases on improved self-reported health for these workers. Our results are robust to different age groups except teenagers and our results do not hold true for workers who are employed full-time implying changes in minimum wage only impact the health of those people who are underemployed.

• The Intergenerational Effect of Parental Education on Child Health: Evidence from India (Draft available upon request)

  Abstract

  The paper investigates the causal impact of parental education on child health outcomes by exploiting a compulsory schooling reform in India which required parents to complete eight years of primary education. The exogenous variation in parental education induced by the reform implementation timing in different states across the birth cohorts of parents is explored using an instrumental variable difference-in-difference approach. Findings based on data from the National Family Health Survey suggest that increased total years of parental education improved the birth weight, weight-for-age, and height of their offspring. Parental education also increased the probability of a child being currently breastfed and improved understanding of a child's measles immunization. I also examine different household socio-economic pathways which can impact children's health. I find significant improvements in all the household facilities and improved sanitation in Indian society. There is little evidence of a causal relationship between a father's education and his health behavior, but mothers in Indian society take better care of their health in terms of having antenatal and postnatal care and increased probability of health check-ups which gets transmitted to improved health outcomes for their children.

Works in Progress

• Women’s Empowerment in India: Evidence from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) policy with Sharbani Bhattacharjee

• Family and Professional Liaison and its Effect on Immigrants Labor Market

• Age Discrimination and Health of Older Workers