PacDev 2025 Conference Agenda at USC
| Time | Session |
| 8:30-9am | Breakfast/Registration |
| 9-10:15am | Session I |
| 10:15-10:40am | Break |
| 10:40-11:55am | Session II |
| 12-1:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:15-2:30pm | Session III |
| 2:30-3pm | Break |
| 3-4:15pm | Session IV |
| 4:15-4:30pm | Break |
| 4:30-5:30pm | Keynote addess |
| 5:30-7:30pm | Reception |
Session List
| Session I: 9-10:15am | Session II: 10:40-11:55am | Session III: 1:15-2:30pm | Session IV: 3-4:15pm | |
| Room 1:
Taper Hall 108 |
Health | Mental health | Technology | |
| Room 2:
Taper Hall 110 |
Education | Education II | Education III | |
| Room 3
Taper Hall 114 |
Migration | Production and usage of economic research | Social protection | Cash transfers |
| Room 4
Taper Hall 116 |
Environmental I | Environmental II | Environmental III | Agriculture I |
| Room 5
Taper Hall 118 |
Culture | Economic geography | Economic history | Trade |
| Room 6
Taper Hall 119 |
Firms I | Firms II | Firms III | |
| Room 7
Taper Hall 208 |
Conflict | Labor I | Labor III | Job training |
| Room 8
Taper Hall 210 |
State capacity | Political economy | Taxation | Public Sector jobs |
| Room 9
Taper Hall 212 |
Gender I | Gender II | Crime | Gender-based violence |
Session I: 9-10:15am
Conflict (Taper Hall 208):
9:00-9:25am: “Water Wars”, presented by Andrea Marcucci (Università della Svizzera italiana)
9:25-9:50am: “Land as a Path to Peace? The Effect of Land Restitution on Violence and Agricultural Investment”, presented by Juan M Jimenez (UBC)
9:50-10:15am: “Non-State Social Structures and Social Capital: Evidence on Crime and Conflict”, presented by Natalia Pia Guerrero Trinidad (University of Minnesota)
Culture (Taper Hall 118):
9:00-9:25am: “For Better or Worse? When Minimum Educational Requirement Meets Patrilocality: Evidence from China, Indonesia, and Ghana”, presented by Lilac Zihui Zhao (Stanford University)
9:25-9:50am: “The Costs of Leader Biases: Evidence from Superstitious Chinese Mayors”, presented by Justin Hong (Boston University)
9:50-10:15am: “The Rise of the Chinese Clan”, presented by Wenbing Wu (Department of Economics, University of Melbourne)
Environmental I (Taper Hall 116):
9:00-9:25am: “Disastrous Displacement: The Long-Run Impacts of Landslides”, presented by Travis Baseler (University of Rochester)
9:25-9:50am: “The Value of Monitoring for Disaster Prevention: The Desert Locust”, presented by Gordon Mccord (UC San Diego)
9:50-10:15am: “Frosty Climate, Icy Relationships: Frosts and Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Peru”, presented by Leah Lakdawala (Wake Forest University)
Gender I (Taper Hall 212):
9:00-9:25am: “Family Planning and Women’s Labor Supply”, presented by Dan Maggio (Rutgers University)
9:25-9:50am: “Do price regulations on birth control pills decrease fertility?”, presented by Ana Melissa Perez Castano (PhD Student, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota)
9:50-10:15am: “The Effects of Adolescent Girls Clubs: Evidence from a Multi-Country RCT in Five West African Countries”, presented by Claire Boxho (World Bank)
Migration (Taper Hall 114):
9:00-9:25am: “Skilled Immigration and Firm-level Upgrading as Exports Boosters in a Developing Country”, presented by Carlo Lombardo (Cornell University)
9:25-9:50am: “Immigrants’ Skills and Capital Deepening: Evidence from Chile”, presented by Alessandra Anna Palazzo (University of Maryland, College Park)
9:50-10:15am: “Conflict, Expectations and Refugee Economic Behavior”, presented by Emma Smith (Georgetown University)
State capacity (Taper Hall 210):
9:00-9:25am: “Organizing Fiscal Capacity”, presented by Devis Decet (Northwestern University)
9:25-9:50am: “Spillovers in State Capacity Building: Evidence from the Digitization of Land Records in Pakistan”, presented by Shan Aman-Rana (University of Virginia)
9:50-10:15am: “Updating the State: Making Implementation Data Accessible to Bureaucrats Strengthens Social Protection”, presented by Yusuf Neggers (University of Michigan)
Session II: 10:40-11:55am
Economic geography (Taper Hall 118):
10:40-11:05am: “Initial Conditions, Size, and the Biggest Push in US History”, presented by Daniel Velasquez (University of Michigan)
11:05-11:30am: “The Global Value of Cities”, presented by Aakash Bhalothia (UC San Diego)
11:30-11:55am: “Resource Extraction, Revenue Sharing, and Growth”, presented by Traviss Cassidy (University of Alabama)
Education (Taper Hall 110:):
10:40-11:05am: “Hard to Read: The Impact of Advanced Reading Assignments on Language and Literacy Outcomes”, presented by Mridul Joshi (Stanford University)
11:05-11:30am: “Reading for Life: Lasting Impacts of a Literacy Intervention in Uganda”, presented by Jason Kerwin (University of Washington)
11:30-11:55am: “The best buy? Prospective evidence on successful remediation in Morocco’s public primary schools”, presented by Andreas De Barros (University of California, Irvine)
Environmental II (Taper Hall 116):
10:40-11:05am: “Gender and culture shape prosociality more than heat stress in a five-country experiment”, presented by Alessandra Cassar (University of San Francisco)
11:05-11:30am: “Labor Productivity Impacts of Air Purifiers”, presented by Teevrat Garg (UC San Diego)
11:30-11:55am: “Price Incentives for Conservation: Experimental Evidence from Groundwater Irrigation”, presented by Ariel Zucker (UC Santa Cruz)
Firms I (Taper Hall 119):
10:40-11:05am: “All in the Family: Kinship Pressure and Firm-Worker Matching”, presented by Nicholas Swanson (Stanford)
11:05-11:30am: “Outsourcing, Labor Regulations and Profit-Sharing: Evidence from Mexico”, presented by Agustina Colonna (University of Zurich)
11:30-11:55am: “Selection and Sorting when Supervisors have Discretion: Experimental Evidence from a Tanzanian Factory”, presented by Yuen Ho (University of California Berkeley)
Gender II (Taper Hall 212):
10:40-11:05am: “Transit Infrastructure, Couples’ Commuting Choices, and Gender Earnings Inequality”, presented by Daniel Velasquez (University of Michigan)
11:05-11:30am: “Female Entrepreneurship and Professional Networks”, presented by Francesca Truffa (Michigan)
11:30-11:55am: “Worker Selection and Preferences for Job Amenities: Evidence from Jordanian Women”, presented by Bailey Palmer (UC Berkeley)
Health (Taper Hall 108:):
10:40-11:05am: “Experiential and Social Learning”, presented by Gabriella Fleischman (Harvard Kennedy School)
11:05-11:30am: “Self-Detrimental Avoidance of Rest”, presented by Alexandra Schubert (University of Zurich)
11:30-11:55am: “Investigating the know-do gap in antibiotics prescribing: experimental evidence from India”, presented by Zachary Wagner (USC)
Labor I (Taper Hall 208):
10:40-11:05am: “Payments Under the Table: Employer-Employee Collusion in Brazil”, presented by Javier Feinmann (UC Berkeley)
11:05-11:30am: “The Role of Cash in Illegal Labor Market Practices: Evidence from Uruguay”, presented by Maximiliano Lauletta (Federal Reserve Board)
11:30-11:55am: “The Role of Unions in Labor Markets with Informality: Evidence from Brazil”, presented by Nikita Kohli (Duke University)
Political economy (Taper Hall 210):
10:40-11:05am: “Health for Votes? Political Business Cycles and Birth Outcomes in Mexico”, presented by Hector Mendoza (El Colegio de México)
11:05-11:30am: “Pay-to-Play: Campaign Contributions and Kickbacks in Public Procurement”, presented by Juan Felipe Ladino (Stockholm University)
11:30-11:55am: “Political Appointment Cycles and Tax Collection”, presented by Raul Duarte (Harvard University)
Production and usage of economic research (Taper Hall 114):
10:40-11:05am: “Data Availability and the Geography of Economic Research”, presented by Wilson King (UC Berkeley)
11:05-11:30am: “Endogenous Sample Selection”, presented by Niclas Moneke (Oxford)
11:30-11:55am: “The Mismeasure of Weather: Using Remotely Sensed Earth Observation Data in Economic Contexts”, presented by Anna Josephson (Arizona)
Session III: 1:15-2:30pm
Crime (Taper Hall 212):
1:15-1:40pm: “CONFRONTING Prejudice: UNCOVERING STEREOTYPES AMONG POLICE OFFICERS IN INDIA”, presented by Abhilasha Sahay (World Bank)
1:40-2:05pm: “Monitoring Harassment in Organizations”, presented by Ada Gonzalez-Torres (Ben-Gurion University and Harvard University)
2:05-2:30pm: “Breaking the Gang: A Preventive Approach to Reduce Recruitment in Schools”, presented by Carlos Schmidt-Padilla (University of California, Berkeley)
Economic history (Taper Hall 118):
1:15-1:40pm: “Richer but Stricter? The Mixed Legacy of British Colonial Army Recruitment in India”, presented by Anahita Karandikar (University of British Columbia)
1:40-2:05pm: “Attached once, attached forever: The persistent effects of concertaje in Ecuador”, presented by Alex Rivadeneira (Banco de México)
2:05-2:30pm: “Missionaries and the birth of international development”, presented by Youn Baek (NYU Stern)
Education II (Taper Hall 110:):
1:15-1:40pm: “Does Restricting Access to Credit Affect Learning Outcomes? Evidence from a Regulatory Shock to Microfinance in India”, presented by Muneer Kalliyil (Indian Institute of Management Bangalore)
1:40-2:05pm: “Does Expanding Female Economic Opportunities Improve Children’s Human Capital? Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial in Bangladesh”, presented by Claus Portner (Seattle University)
2:05-2:30pm: “Assessing the Efficacy of Debt Forgiveness Incentives in Promoting Higher Education Outcomes: Evidence from Colombia’s National Student Loan Company”, presented by German Pulido (University College London)
Environmental III (Taper Hall 116):
1:15-1:40pm: “Digging for Answers: The Effects of Mining Pollution Externalities on Local Agricultural Output in Africa”, presented by Mira Korb (UC Davis)
1:40-2:05pm: “Agricultural Technology Adoption and Deforestation: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial”, presented by Clark Lundberg (SDSU)
2:05-2:30pm: “Narco-Deforestation: The Environmental Effects of Coca Cultivation”, presented by Giulia Tozzi (Queen Mary University of London / Aix-Marseille School of Economics)
Firms II (Taper Hall 119):
1:15-1:40pm: “Value Creation and Value Capture in Indian Garment Sector Bargaining”, presented by Russell Morton (Yale University)
1:40-2:05pm: “The Supply Side of Access to Finance: Evidence from Loans to Agricultural Firms in Four African Countries”, presented by Mohamed Abouaziza (London School of Economics (LSE))
2:05-2:30pm: “Small by Choice: Reassessing the Aggregate Implications of Size-Based Regulations”, presented by Kalyani Padmakumar (Florida State University)
Labor III (Taper Hall 208):
1:15-1:40pm: “Equity Conundrum: Unintended Consequences of College-Level Affirmative Action on the Labor Market”, presented by Ritika Gupta (University of Virginia)
1:40-2:05pm: “Outside Options and the Supply of Sex Work”, presented by Ruchi Mahadeshwar (Brown University)
2:05-2:30pm: “Public Pensions, Retirement, and Earlier-in-Life Labor Supply: Evidence from Ecuador”, presented by Diego Vera Cossio (Inter-American Development Bank)
Mental health (Taper Hall 108:):
1:15-1:40pm: “Long-Term Reductions in Depression and Intimate Partner Violence Over 8 Years: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial”, presented by Michelle Escobar (University of Melbourne)
1:40-2:05pm: “The Long-Term Impact of Pharmacotherapy in India”, presented by Manuela Angelucci (UT Austin)
2:05-2:30pm: “Spousal Relationship and Adolescent Psychosocial Health: Evidence from an RCT”, presented by Ashish K. Sedai (ashish.sedai@uta.edu)
Social protection (Taper Hall 114):
1:15-1:40pm: “Credit and Welfare Across the Lean Season”, presented by Ethan Ligon (UC Berkeley)
1:40-2:05pm: “Pedaling towards Prosperity: The Impact of Bicycle Distribution on Rural Livelihoods in Zambia”, presented by Jeffery Mcmanus (IDinsight)
2:05-2:30pm: “Deepening Intrahousehold Inequalities? Evidence from Floods in Bangladesh.”, presented by Fatima Najeeb (University of Maryland, College Park)
Taxation (Taper Hall 210):
1:15-1:40pm: “Limits to VAT Self Enforcement”, presented by Tejaswi Velayudhan (University of California, Irvine)
1:40-2:05pm: “Tax Audits and Their Distortionary Effects”, presented by David Henning (UCLA)
2:05-2:30pm: “Rewarding Nominal Growth: Unintended Impacts of Tax Cuts in Iran”, presented by Javad Dashtimanesh (Sharif University of Technology)
Session IV: 3-4:15pm
Agriculture I (Taper Hall 116):
3:00-3:25pm: “The Labor Market Effects of Agriculture Mechanization: Experimental Evidence from India”, presented by Steven Brownstone (UC San Diego)
3:25-3:50pm: “Large-Scale Irrigation and Water Use Inequality in South Africa”, presented by Tereza Varejkova (University of Maryland, College Park)
3:50-4:15pm: “Learning from Weather Forecasts and Short-Run Adaptation: Evidence from an At-Scale Experiment”, presented by Jess Rudder (University of Chicago)
Cash transfers (Taper Hall 114):
3:00-3:25pm: “Mental Accounting and Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from a Humanitarian Setting”, presented by Till Wicker (Tilburg University)
3:25-3:50pm: “Long-Term Impacts of Exposure to Conditional Cash Transfers in Adolescence: Evidence from the Philippines”, presented by Abhilasha Sahay (World Bank)
3:50-4:15pm: “A “Big Push” Through the Finish Line: Evidence from a Composite Scholarship for Ugandan Students”, presented by Benedetta Lerva (World Bank)
Education III (Taper Hall 110:):
3:00-3:25pm: “Agricultural Mechanization, Teenage Labor Supply, and High School Enrollment”, presented by Hundanol Kebede (Southern Illinois University)
3:25-3:50pm: “Improving preschool services: Experimental evidence on a technology-aided intervention in India”, presented by Ajinkya Keskar (Binghamton University (SUNY))
3:50-4:15pm: “Labor Market Consequences of Pre-School Construction in Peru”, presented by Ronald Alonso Cueva (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and World Bank)
Firms III (Taper Hall 119):
3:00-3:25pm: “The Role of (Mis)Perceptions in Product Choice: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Zambia”, presented by David Sungho Park (KDI School of Public Policy and Management)
3:25-3:50pm: “The Impact of Restricting Large Retailer Operation Days on Independent Retailers and Consumers: Evidence from South Korea”, presented by Marco Gonzalez-Navarro (UC-Berkeley)
3:50-4:15pm: “Small-scale Production dereservation and Product Quality”, presented by Vidhya Soundararajan (Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning)
Gender-based violence (Taper Hall 212):
3:00-3:25pm: “Has Colombian legislation affected domestic violence reports and health outcomes?”, presented by Ana Melissa Perez (PhD student University of Minnesota)
3:25-3:50pm: “The Unintended Impacts of an Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program: Experimental Evidence from Rwanda”, presented by Arthur Alik-Lagrange (World Bank – Paris School of Economics)
3:50-4:15pm: “Gender-Based Violence in Schools and Girls’ Education: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique”, presented by Sarita Oré (Columbia University)
Job training (Taper Hall 208):
3:00-3:25pm: “Beliefs and the Demand for Employee Training: A Field Experiment with Small Firms in Uganda”, presented by Arman Rezaee (University of California, Davis)
3:25-3:50pm: “Capital Underutilization and the Provision of Firm Training: Experimental Evidence from Uganda”, presented by Anna Vitali (NYU)
3:50-4:15pm: “The Economic Consequences of Knowledge Hoarding”, presented by Luisa Cefala (UC Berkeley)
Public Sector jobs (Taper Hall 210):
3:00-3:25pm: “Feigning Fairness: The Loss from a Voluntary Gender Quota in Public Service”, presented by Jiawei Lyu (University of Pittsburgh)
3:25-3:50pm: “Impact of Government Job Age Cut-off on Labor Market Outcomes of College Graduates”, presented by Md Shahadath Hossain (University of Houston)
3:50-4:15pm: “Public Sector Hiring and Labor Market Flows of Indian College Graduates”, presented by Niharika Singh (University of Notre Dame)
Technology (Taper Hall 108:):
3:00-3:25pm: “Hate in the Time of Algorithms: Evidence from a Large-Scale Experiment on Online Behavior”, presented by Aarushi Kalra (Brown University)
3:25-3:50pm: “Fostering Social-Media Entrepreneurs”, presented by Fangzhou Lu (University of Hong Kong)
3:50-4:15pm: “Dinner at Your Door: How Delivery Platforms Affect Workers and Firms”, presented by Pascuel Plotkin (University of British Columbia)
Trade (Taper Hall 118):
3:00-3:25pm: “Environmental Policy Coordination”, presented by Xiongfei Li (Duke University)
3:25-3:50pm: “Losing Venezuela: Trade Collapse and the Performance
of Colombian Exporting Firms”, presented by Nicolas De Roux (Universidad de Los Andes)
3:50-4:15pm: “Beefing Up the Service Sector: Commodity Exports to China and Production Network Spillovers”, presented by Francesco Amodio (McGill University)
