We study how aggregate economic conditions affect the timing of marriage, and particularly
child marriage, in Sub‐Saharan Africa and in India. In both regions, substantial monetary or …

We provide evidence that dowry costs motivate son-preferring behaviors in India. Since gold
is an integral part of dowry, we study parental responses to shocks in the world gold price …

We develop a non-cooperative bargaining model with incomplete information linking dowry
payments, domestic violence, resource allocation between a husband and a wife, and …

The ancient custom of dowry, ie, bride-to-groom marriage payments, remains ubiquitous in
many contemporary societies. Using data from 1986–2007, this paper examines whether …

Dowry payments are common in many marriage markets. This paper uses data on over
74,000 marriages in rural India over the last century to explain why the institution of dowry …

We study the relationship between dowries–wealth transfers from the bride's family to the
groom or his family at the time of marriage–and individual-level poverty in rural India. Based …

One of the most egregious manifestations of gender bias is the phenomenon of “missing
women”. The number of missing women is projected to increase to 150 million by 2035, as a …

We study whether legal restrictions on prenatal discrimination against females leads to a
shift by parents towards postnatal discrimination, focusing on the impact on educational …

Background Malnutrition among children is one of the most pressing health concerns middle-
and low-income countries face today, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa and South …

India's sex ratio at birth (SRB) has become increasingly masculine, coinciding with a
declining total fertility rate. Couples often resort to sex-selective abortion or even infanticide …