Research Areas
My current research interests lie in public economics, the economics of education, and microeconometrics. I have used randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental methods to estimate the causal impact of social programs and policies in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries. I am particularly interested in understanding the determinants of the non-take-up of social benefits and in assessing the effectiveness of policy responses to this challenge. I am also studying the causal effects of interventions aimed at improving the educational attainment of marginalized minority groups, as well as the relationship between access to early childhood education, parenting practices, and education and later-life outcomes. In addition, I am interested in further exploring the extent to which minimum income schemes and other cash transfer programs in Europe can help reduce poverty and social exclusion.
Working Papers
A key challenge in social benefit systems worldwide is the Non-Take-Up (NTU) phenomenon,where eligible individuals do not claim the benefits to which they are entitled. This study evaluates the impact of two policy interventions—an in-person outreach program and a social mediacampaign—on reducing NTU through a large-scale randomized controlled trial involving 400 low-income neighborhoods in Spain. The interventions, targeted at reducing the NTU for the national minimum income scheme, were designed to address key informational and logistical barriers. The in-person treatment offered tailored support with application procedures and administrative coordination, while the social media campaign provided targeted information via Facebook andInstagram. We find that both interventions significantly increased application rates, though the temporal patterns differed—effects from in-person outreach were immediate, while those from social media emerged with a delay. However, neither intervention led to a substantial increase in benefit approvals, suggesting that while the interventions reduced initial frictions, persistent logistical barriers continue to hinder successful take-up. The results underscore the dual importance of informational and procedural hurdles in explaining NTU and point to the need for sustained, hands-on support to convert applications into successful claims.
▷ How Does Early Parenting Support Improve Family Outcomes? Experimental Evidence from Spain (with Ana García-Hernández and Guillermo Martínez-Martínez)
Parenting practices in early childhood lay the foundation for children’s long-term outcomes. However, by shaping how parents interact at home, better parenting skills may also affect the family as a whole. This paper studies the impact of early parenting support on family outcomes using the randomized implementation of Espacios Infantiles: 0-3, a pilot program involving one thousand disadvan-taged families in Spain. The intervention improved parenting abilities and led to better short-run household relationships and educational outcomes for children in treated families. We argue that the effects stem from early-childhood guidance fos-tering parental socio-emotional skills, thereby improving interactions with other family members. These results point to overlooked channels through which par-enting support can improve family well-being.
▷ The impact of a minimum wage increase on labour market outcomes: evidence from the northern Mexican border (with Jimena Contreras Contreras, Joe Easterling, Silvia Ríos Juaristi)
A large informal sector and a low minimum wage have contributed to persistently high rates of inequality and poverty across Mexico. In particular, the development of cities located along the Mexico-US border has lagged behind in recent decades. The Northern Border Free Zone was implemented on January 1st 2019 to counter this stagnation through economically stimulating policies including a doubling of the minimum wage. This paper applies a Difference-in-Differences approach to estimate the impact of the minimum wage increase on low-wage workers by comparing their labour market outcomes with those of higher-wage workers within the zone. We find that the minimum wage significantly increased the wages of low-wage workers in both the formal and informal sector. Whilst we do not find any evidence of disemployment effects in either sector, we do find that the policy caused low-wage workers to work significantly less hours per week. Finally, we find no evidence of reallocation effects between sectors.
Work in Progress
- Educational support for Roma families: experimental evidence from Spain (with Maria Calle, Ana García-Hernández, and Paola Giannattasio)