Publications

Does access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) reduce the household burden of women? Evidence from India
Energy Economics, 2023
This paper examines how access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) affects household time allocation and women’s well-being. Using India’s national time-use survey and an instrumental-variable strategy based on village-level LPG penetration, I find that LPG adoption significantly reduces cooking time and unpaid domestic work for women. The results highlight how clean energy access can enhance gender equity and labor participation in developing economies.

Does the Belt and Road Initiative boost Chinese automobile exports? A staggered adoption approach
Applied Economics, 2024
This study evaluates the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on China’s automobile exports using a heterogeneity-robust staggered difference-in-differences design. Exports to BRI partner countries nearly doubled, increasing net exports by about 59%. The findings reveal how large-scale international policy initiatives can reshape trade networks and firm behavior across borders.

Time-saving appliances and educational pitfalls: Evidence from Pakistan
Energy Economics, 2025
Using panel data from the Pakistan Rural Household Survey and an instrumental-variable approach based on community appliance ownership, this study investigates how access to household technologies affects children’s schooling outcomes. Owning time-saving appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators reduces dropout rates—especially among girls—and increases years of schooling. The paper provides new evidence that technology adoption at home can serve as a cost-effective lever for human-capital development.

Selected Working Papers

Fuel Switching and Labor Supply of Rural Women in India
This paper examines how transitions from traditional fuels to modern energy sources influence rural women’s labor supply. Using large-scale household data and an instrumental-variable approach, I find that fuel switching reduces unpaid domestic work and enables greater participation in market employment, particularly for women in low-income households. The study highlights the intersection of clean energy access, gender equity, and labor-market development.

Shifting Hours: Time Allocation and Gender Inequality in India, 1999–2019
This paper documents how patterns of time allocation between paid work, unpaid labor, and leisure have evolved in India over two decades. Using nationally representative time-use surveys from 1999 and 2019, I show that despite rising household income and education, gender disparities in unpaid work remain persistent, while women’s market work declined sharply. The findings suggest that social norms, rather than demographics alone, continue to constrain women’s economic participation.

The Efficiency of Firms in Indian Manufacturing: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis
Using firm-level panel data from India’s manufacturing sector, this study applies a stochastic-frontier framework to measure technical efficiency across industries. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in efficiency levels, with evidence that access to modern inputs and credit constraints play a key role in productivity gaps. The paper contributes to understanding how institutional and financial factors shape firm performance in emerging markets.

Works in Progress

Time Allocation and Child Labor
This project explores how household time constraints and parental labor supply influence children’s involvement in paid and unpaid labor. Using household microdata, we analyze the trade-offs between adult employment, schooling decisions, and child labor in low-income contexts.

Natural Disasters and Corporate Governance Decisions
This study examines how natural disasters alter corporate decision-making structures, focusing on changes in executive incentives, board composition, and risk-taking behavior. By combining disaster exposure data with firm-level governance indicators, we test how environmental shocks shape managerial responses and long-term resilience.

Impacts of the U.S. Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate on Economic Growth and the Environment in the United States
This project investigates how fluctuations in the U.S. dollar exchange rate influence economic growth and environmental outcomes. Using time-series econometric models, the study explores the trade-offs between macroeconomic expansion, emissions, and sustainable policy design.