Research

Job Market Paper:

Overstretched: Financial Distress and Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. [draft here]

This study examines the effect of financial distress within households on intimate partner violence in the United States. By leveraging the timing of bank closing days and fixed wage payment schedules, we identify months when households have to stretch their finances due to changes in their regular payment schedules. Using monthly records from the National Crime Victimization Survey, we find that these shocks increase the likelihood of women experiencing IPV. We further corroborate the assumption of worsened financial conditions during these periods by documenting changes in household behavior in terms of expenditures and time use. Using Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) data, we show that households reduce their expenditures on food and leisure during periods of financial stretch. Additionally, using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data, we find an increase in time devoted to consumption research. We also observe that spouses spend more time together, particularly with their children, during these periods.

Presented at (* by co-author): EAYE 2025, NYU Abu Dhabi, University of Verona, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2nd Naples School of Economics and Finance PhD and Post-Doctoral Workshop, EALE 2024, AEC 2024, Universitat de Barcelona, Violence against Women Workshop at University of Warwick, Giessen University, EDP Jamboree at PSE, LUISS University* , University of Bath*, Stockholm SITE Workshop for Women in Political Economics*, 2023 European Winter Meeting of the Econometric Society*, Warwick-St Andrews Workshop for Women in Political Economics*, 1st International Conference of the Georgian Economic Association*.

Working Papers:

Don’t Stick a Spoon in Marital Disputes? Sentencing Severity and Domestic Violence

with Rui Costa, Beatriz Ribeiro & Matteo Sandi

We estimate the impact of sentencing severity on the dynamics of domestic violence. The study uses ten years of merged individual-level administrative registers on domestic violence cases brought to the police and family linkages for Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Leveraging Brazil’s “Lei do Feminicidio”, which was implemented in March 2015 to include the crime of “femicide” in the Brazilian penal law, we find that sentencing severity significantly affects the behavior of both offenders and victims of domestic violence. While the policy change seemingly deterred potential offenders by reducing the incidence of domestic violence, victims of domestic violence became more likely to ask for protective measures and more reluctant to press charges against their abusive partners, as a framework of compensating mechanisms would predict. For a policymaker seeking to design effective sentences to combat domestic violence, the tension between these outcomes appears critical.

Presented at (* by co-author): 5th EUI Alumni Conference, 2025 Workshop in Gender Economics at ENS de Lyon, Alp-Pop 2025, WISE 2025, EDP Jamboree at Pompeu Fabra University, Workshop on Public Policies at UB, XV Transatlantic Workshop on the Economics of Crime, 39th AIEL Conference*, "Crime Before Christmas" Annual Workshop at Bocconi University*.

Gender Differences in Time Use and Effects on Achievement: Evidence from Children [Submitted]

In this paper, I analyze how off-school time use shapes children’s academic achievement using a unique dataset on Turkish children aged 8-12. With a rich set of variables, such as cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics of children, parenting styles, and teaching styles, I establish significant gender differences in off-school time allocation, with girls spending more time on chores and study and less on play. Then, I estimate an education production function with time-use variables as inputs. An extra hour spent on house chores is associated with a significant reduction in both math (0.042sd) and verbal test scores (0.025sd). These numbers are instead 0.027sd and 0.03sd for an extra hour of playtime. I also document a gender math gap favoring boys of 0.171 sd. This gap is likely due to different uses of time and different returns to playtime across genders.

Gender Quotas in Municipal Executives: Reallocating Public Spending in Italy

with Flavia Cavallini and Alice Dominici [Revisions Requested at International Tax and Public Finance]

This study investigates the effect of increasing female representation in executive positions within local governments on municipal expenditures and the provision of public social services. We leverage a 2014 reform in Italy that mandated 40% gender quotas in the executive councils of municipalities with more than 3000 inhabitants. Introducing quotas for executives represents a novel and interesting setting, as these figures might have more influence over administration and budgeting than other council members. To isolate the impact of gender quotas from other policies active at the same population cutoff, we employ a difference-in-discontinuities approach. We document that the policy effectively increases female representation in local governments, aligning with its objectives. Our findings reveal that the increase in female executives shifts the composition of expenditures in favor of schools, with the budget share allocated to preschools and schools rising by 23% and 10%, respectively. This indicates that including women in executive roles can influence the allocation of municipal resources.

Presented at (* by co-author): 1st Naples School of Economics and Finance PhD and Post-Doctoral Workshop*.

Measuring Gender Stereotypes in the Workplace: Evidence from Italian Managers

with Paola Profeta [Submitted]

This paper provides a novel, comprehensive descriptive analysis of explicit and implicit stereotypes in the workplace, drawing on original survey data and Implicit Association Test (IAT) results from 2,037 managers in Italy. We examine how individual traits such as gender, age, and personal experience, along with firm characteristics like sector, organizational structure, and workplace policies, relate to bias. Male managers show significantly higher levels of gender bias compared to female managers. Gender stereotypes are more common in the manufacturing sector and in small to medium-sized firms. Support for paternity leave and gender quotas is linked to lower bias levels. A higher share of female managers within a firm is also associated with lower levels of explicit bias. However, IAT scores explain little additional variation beyond self-reported attitudes. These findings offer policy-relevant insights for designing interventions to foster a more equitable work environment.

Length of Education and Fertility: Does Shorter Schooling lead to Births at a Younger Age?

with Henrike Alm and Mirjam Stockburger.

Many OECD countries experience rising educational attainment alongside delayed family formation. This paper examines whether reducing secondary school duration affects fertility decisions. We exploit Germany’s G8 reform, which shortened the academic school track by one year while keeping total instruction hours constant. Using a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach and German Microcensus data (2012–2021), we find that the reform led to a lower Abitur graduation age and an earlier completion of vocational education. Moreover, it increased the likelihood of marriage and parenthood by age 30, with these effects driven primarily by West German states.

Work in Progress:

Economic Security, Safer Homes: 2017 Child Tax Credit and Intimate Partner Violence, with Bianca Meoli.
Delay and Distress: How Shifts in Paydays Shape Consumption Responses, with Chiara Santantonio.
Guns and Violence: the Role of Access, with Chiara Santantonio and Andrea Tizzani.
Fighting Domestic Violence: The Role of Local Monitoring Policies, with Rui Costa, Beatriz Ribeiro & Matteo Sandi.
Discrimination Against Women and the Elderly: Survey Results from Italian Firms, with Francesco Maura and Paola Profeta.

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