The Policy Implications of Price Sensitivity of Demand for Health Insurance – Evidence from Community Based Health Insurance in Rwanda (job market paper), in this paper I use the implementation of a new premium subsidy scheme for the Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in Rwanda as a quasi-experiment to estimate the impact of premium subsidies on two policy relevant outcomes: insurance coverage and financial sustainability. This is the first study to simulate the effects of insurance subsidies on financial sustainability, using a unique data set on insurer costs. First, I estimate price elasticity of the demand for insurance exploiting the variation in premium costs over time and between households created by the policy in a linear probability model with individual fixed effects. Second, I use the estimated price sensitivity to simulate the predicted take-up levels related to a number of different subsidy schemes, taking into account the potential effects of adverse selection. I show that the demand for health insurance is not inelastic, but that the price sensitivity varies between different socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, a positive slope of the average cost curve indicates that the insurance market is adversely selected. The results suggest that premium subsidies only have a modest effect on the take-up of insurance, but that it might affect the composition of individuals deciding to enroll in the insurance. Furthermore, simulations of different premium subsidy schemes indicate that the monetary implications of adverse selection are limited, specifically in relation to targeted subsidies.

The Role of Childcare on Female Firm Productivity: Evidence from Mexico

This paper evaluates whether lack of access to affordable childcare represent a bottleneck for female entrepreneurship and efficiency. I explore the roll-out of a childcare program in Mexico on female entrepreneurship. I use a triple-difference design with treatment intensity that varies across municipalities, and compare outcomes for women with children just below and above the eligibility threshold for the program. The findings suggest that an increase in access to subsidized childcare led to an increase in hours worked per week for women with more than secondary education, and for women in the service sector. This indicates that the effects of the reform are concentrated among women that were initially better off. Suggestive evidence show that constraints to productivity – such as home-based production- are reduced for treated women.

Work in progress

The importance of a present father – effects on maternal health and labor market outcomes

In this study we use the variation in fathers’ ability to stay home during the period immediately following childbirth, caused by Swedish state-subsidized short-time work allowance schemes during Covid19, to study the effect of increased paternal flexibility/presence on short and medium run health and labor market outcomes, as well as the division of childcare responsibilities in the households.

Collaboration with the Swedish Inspectorate of Social Insurance (ISF)

The importance of self-reported perceptions of current life situation and future opportunities for labor market and health outcomes.

Coordinated Policy Interventions Contribute to Improved Livelihoods Among Long-Term Unemployed.

Coordinated rehabilitation makes a difference.