Abstract: Sufficient nutrition intake in early life is crucial for the development of human capital. In light of rising concerns about food insecurity caused by a variety of crises, it is essential to identify effective coping strategies households can employ to mitigate the lasting impacts of income shocks and associated nutrition deficits. We uncover a previously unexplored coping mechanism - home production - and establish the extent of its effectiveness in mitigating negative effects of crises on child health. To do so, we focus on the transition period after the collapse of the Soviet Union and investigate the role of household production of potatoes. Specifically, utilizing individual-level data from Russia, Kazakhstan, and other post-Soviet countries and exploiting the variation in the soil suitability index, we establish that households that grew potatoes on land more suitable for their cultivation were able to reduce the negative effects of transition shock on the health of their children as measured by adult height and height-for-age z-score. Our findings suggest that targeted nutritional interventions are needed to mitigate long-term damage for children in times of catastrophic economic shocks, particularly in areas where households face limitations in home production.

Abstract: Identifying the impacts of conflicts and understanding the origins of gender gaps are both seemingly unrelated but crucial questions in the literature. Focusing on the gap at the intersection of these two branches of literature, this study explores whether and how long-run exposure to violent conflicts contributes to and shapes the child gender preferences of parents. I use temporal and spatial variations in conflicts in Nigeria and combine the Uppsala Conflict Data Program and the Demographic and Health Surveys Program to perform the analysis. The results show that the effect of long-run exposure to violent conflicts on stated preferences (attitudes) for boys is not homogeneous. While conflict events with low or no civilian death increase preferences for sons, violence targeted at civilians works in the opposite direction and decreases preferences for boys. I find no evidence of translating these preferences into behaviour via sex-selective abortions. Instead, evidence shows that parents use the stopping rule to achieve the desired gender composition of children. Further, analysis also indicates that, in the districts affected by conflict, parents have a positive bias towards boys in terms of their postnatal health investment.

Abstract: Amidst advancements in women’s rights, persistent parental preferences continue to contribute to the phenomenon of "missing" females in many developing countries. Armenia, since gaining independence, has maintained a notably high male-to-female ratio at birth. This study proposes a novel explanation for the skewed sex ratio, suggesting that natural disasters can exert enduring effects on women’s child gender preferences. Leveraging data from four rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys in Armenia and exploiting the plausible exogeneity of interview timing, my research uncovers a significant impact of the reactivated memory of the 1988 Armenian Earthquake on women’s stated preferences for male children. Specifically, I show that women interviewed on or around December 7 -- the day marking the earthquake victims’ commemoration -- express a 3-percentage-point higher preference for sons. Further analysis reveals that women from the most affected region, Shirak, exhibit an even stronger preference for boys, with a noteworthy 12-percentage-point increase. These effects are particularly pronounced among women who are already mothers, suggesting a lasting imprint of the earthquake's memory on child gender preferences.

Abstract:  Active democratic engagement plays a crucial role in the reconstruction and advancement of economies and societies scarred by conflict.  We study the effect of a localized war on individual civic engagement, specifically measured as voter turnout. To do so we combine a dataset of pre- and post-conflict voter lists from the parliamentary elections in Armenia with the individual-level administrative data on casualties of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war of 2020. Utilizing unique individual-level voting and casualty data, we employ a difference-in-differences analysis to establish the causal relationship between exposure to war-related death within the household and the voting behavior of the household members. The study further provides nuanced insights into the heterogeneity of the effect based on the different voter and victim characteristics. Our research seeks to contribute to the academic discourse on the relationship between conflicts and civic engagement. This understanding could have implications for post-conflict recovery and governance strategies.