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Abstract: This paper investigates how exposure to collectivist versus individualistic cultural values shapes earnings penalties in the labour market. Leveraging rich administrative data on immigrant households and by exploiting the variation in cultural exposure among immigrant siblings, I analyze how differential retention of collectivist cultural norms, proxied by age at migration, influences earning penalties in the labour market. I also explore potential cultural drivers of the earnings gap with a focus on tenets such as occupational prestige, social value, creative component, and the routinization of tasks in jobs. The findings reveal that exposure to collectivist cultural environments (i) leads to significant earnings penalties, with individuals earning less than their predicted wages (ii) fosters a preference for occupations with greater routinization of tasks (iii) individualistic cultural origins mitigate these gaps by enhancing the alignment between skills and wages.
Awarded: Best Student Paper Prize at the SABE/IAREP Conference, 2024
Abstract: This paper adds to the literature on experimental interventions that target smartphone use. I begin by developing a conceptual framework that models screen time consumption using reference-dependent preferences. I then test the model's predictions in an experiment examining the screen time habits of college students. Specifically, participants are asked to rank their current screen time habits relative to perceived peer behaviour, and I use a randomized treatment to correct the extent to which they may have misperceived their relative position. I find that individuals are (i) uninformed about the screen time habits of their peers, (ii) misperceive their relative position in the distribution, (iii) and on an average, the findings suggest correcting misperceptions through social comparisons reduces daily average screen time use. (iv) I also find suggestive evidence of a reduction in smartphone screen time being associated with an improvement in academic grades.
Abstract: This paper analyses the technology transfer problem between firms in a duopoly set-up, where firms suffer due to severe financial constraints. The firm with superior technology may transfer their technology to the other provided such transfers generate a positive surplus that can be shared amongst the firms. We show that higher stringency in financial constraints makes technology transfers more likely. However, when the firms' technologies are close in comparison, such transfers are unlikely to be profitable, contrary to the findings in the conventional literature without financial considerations. We further extend our results to a more general set-up with finite receivers of technology and with exclusive, partial or fully open access technology transfer.
Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of Läxhjälpen, a remedial education program aimed at supporting students at risk of being ineligible for upper secondary school in Sweden. Utilizing rich Swedish administrative data, we leverage the staggered roll-out of the program across schools to compare treated students—those enrolled after the program's introduction—with control students from earlier cohorts within the same schools who meet the program's eligibility criteria. This within-school comparison mitigates confounding factors such as variation in school resources and teacher quality. Our findings reveal that the program significantly improves students’ cumulative grade point average (CGPA). While the program does not significantly influence eligibility for upper secondary school, it increases the likelihood of upper secondary school enrollment. These results underscore the effectiveness of targeted interventions in narrowing educational disparities among academically vulnerable groups.