Economics of Reproduction
Economic factors permeate nearly every aspect of human life, even those we consider most personal. This body of work demonstrates the presence of economic influences in the realm of reproduction. Further, the work highlights the important ways that reproduction and access to reproductive health services exert significant impacts on economic outcomes. Some of this work is in the context of sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the current and upcoming work is in the context of the United States.
Publications & Reports
"TRAP'd teens: Impacts of abortion provider regulations on fertility and education" (2024) with Mayra Pineda Torres. Forthcoming at Journal of Public Economics. Most recent version here. Previous version: IZA Discussion Paper 14837. (link)
"Reducing maternal labor market detachment: A role for paid family leave" with Britni Wilcher. (2023) Labour Economics. Preprint version here. Previous version: AU Economics Working Paper 2019-07 (link). Links to media coverage: On the Evidence podcast; ASSA video; Wisconsin Public Radio
"Improving shock coping with precautionary savings: The effects of mobile banking on transactional sex in Kenya" with Erick Gong. (2021) Journal of Health Economics, 78: 102460.
"Women’s reproductive health and economic empowerment" with Anna Bernstein. Ch 33 in Handbook of Feminist Economics. (2021) Eds. Ebru Kongar and Gunseli Berik. London: Routledge.
"The economic effects of contraceptive access: a review of the evidence" with Anna Bernstein. (2019) Institute of Women's Policy Research & Center for Economics of Reproductive Health Report. Washington DC.
"The economic effects of abortion access: a review of the evidence" with Anna Bernstein. (2019) Institute of Women's Policy Research & Center for Economics of Reproductive Health Report. Washington DC.
“Income Shocks and HIV in Africa” with Erick Gong and Marshall Burke. (2015) The Economic Journal, 125(585): 1157-89. June. (open access)
“Contraceptive Supply and Fertility Outcomes: Evidence from Ghana” (2015) Economic Development and Cultural Change, 64(1):31-69. October. (open access)
Working papers & Work in progress
"Economic Shocks, Inequality, and Unintended Births" (2022) with Kate Pennington.
"At a crossroads: The impact of abortion access on future economic outcomes" (2021) American University Department of Economics Working Paper 2021-02. (link)