CESR Events

Series resumes Monday, January 26, 2026

Monday, April 6
12pm – 1pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Abstract: Why do spouses hide income from each other, and why would they pay to reveal it? This paper studies preferences over income privacy within households using a laboratory experiment with low-income urban couples in Kenya that identifies willingness to pay for income hiding (or transparency). We show that a substantial share of spouses are willing to sacrifice income to keep earnings hidden (36% of wives and 26% of husbands). At the same time, we document a previously under-explored phenomenon: a large fraction of spouses are willing to pay to reveal income to their partner (20% of wives and 31% of husbands). Using vignette-based survey experiments, we provide evidence on perceived motives and consequences of hiding and revealing income, including future-oriented investment, hedging against marital dissolution, and sanctions after financial disclosure. Together, these results challenge standard household models and provide a foundation to inform future models of the household. 

Bio: Jessica is an Associate Professor at Colorado College and applied microeconomist who specializes in experimental methods. Previously, she was an Associate Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, an Evaluation Coordinator for Innovations for Poverty Action- Kenya, and a Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve Board. She holds a PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Michigan and a BA in Math and Economics from Reed College.

Monday, April 13
12pm – 1pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Abstract: Deliberative democracy advocates argue that deliberation can strengthen democracy in part by reducing partisan hostility and affective polarization. Yet whether and why this holds remains under-examined. This paper demonstrates that deliberation can reduce partisan animus by promoting engagement with out-partisan policy perspectives. This engagement builds cognitive empathy, increasing positive affect and tolerance toward out-partisans. Evidence is from an experiment in Honduras. Deliberators were randomly assigned to defend policies with which they agreed (own perspective) or disagreed (out-partisan perspective). Deliberation reduced affective polarization and out partisan animus. These reductions were concentrated and more persistent in the out-partisan perspective group, while polarization increased modestly in the own-perspective group. The findings demonstrate that engagement with out-partisan policy viewpoints is an important causal mechanism driving deliberation’s impact while also highlighting the potential limits of deliberation and discussion in the absence of active engagement with out-group points of view.

Bio: I am an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). My research is motivated by the challenges facing contemporary democracies. I aim to shed light on these challenges and to contribute ideas — rigorously tested with methods attuned to causal inference — about how to foster democratic renewal. This work spans three main areas: clientelism and distributive politics; democratic accountability and renewal; and democracy and the judiciary. I have conducted field research in Benin, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, and have recently expanded my comparative focus to include cases in the Americas, including Honduras and the United States. I am the author of Money for Votes: The Causes and Consequences of Electoral Clientelism in Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2018), which received the African Politics Conference Group award for best book. My research has appeared in leading journals such as the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, Perspectives on Politics, and World Politics, and has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the International Growth Centre. I received my PhD from UCLA and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Prior to joining USC, I was on the faculty at George Washington University.

Monday, April 20
12pm – 1pm
Zoom

Abstract: Over the twentieth century, life expectancy increased substantially, creating the expectation that each successive generation would live both longer and healthier lives. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that this assumption may no longer hold. Research increasingly points to a phenomenon described as the Generational Health Drift, whereby more recent cohorts experience similar, or in some cases worse, health than earlier generations at the same age, despite continuing improvements in longevity.

George will present evidence on this trend using data from international longitudinal population surveys alongside the UK’s national British birth cohort studies. By comparing health trajectories across multiple generations, he will show how changing social, economic and policy environments shape population health over time.

Building on this evidence, George will examine the broader societal implications of the Generational Health Drift, including its potential consequences for labour market participation and future pressures on health and care systems. He will also discuss the need for policies that mitigate its impacts, supporting healthy ageing, sustaining workforce participation and ensuring the sustainability of health systems in the decades ahead.

Bio: George Ploubidis is Professor of Population Health and Statistics at the UCL Social Research Institute, University College London and Director of the National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study at the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies. His research focuses on the social and demographic determinants of health across the life course and on understanding generational differences in population health and mortality using longitudinal population data. Before joining UCL, he held academic posts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Cambridge.

Monday, April 27
12pm – 1pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Monday, May 4
12pm – 1pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Tuesday, May 12
12pm – 1pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Wednesday, May 27
11am – 12pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Monday, June 8
11am – 12pm
VPD 203 and Zoom

Thursday, April 2
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)

Bio: Lauren Schmitz is an Associate Professor at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a health economist with additional graduate and postdoctoral training in human genetics and biodemography. Her research utilizes genomic and epigenomic data from population studies to examine how the social environment interacts with biological processes to influence health, health behaviors, and the aging process. Much of her work in this area uses methods for learning causal effects from observational data to identify policy targets that support quality of life and extend healthspan.

Thursday, May 7
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)

Thursday, June 4
9am – 10am
Zoom (See email for Zoom link)