Moot on Applied Development Economics

Associate Professor Texas A&M University Dr Danila Serra opened the conference on Day 2

LAHORE:

The second day of the conference on the impacts of war violence opened with a plenary address from Associate Professor Texas A&M University Dr Danila Serra. The session mainly focused on education and health outcomes, economic outcomes, mental health and individual preferences, particularly for girls.

The plenary address was followed by a session on women and labour markets, chaired by Dr Serra.

The first speaker of the session, Assistant Professor University of Exeter Dr Mahreen Mahmud, conducted a randomised control trial with 1,200 firms in Pakistan with job openings for technical and professional roles. These positions were advertised on the country’s largest online job search portal and offered a 6-month wage to a randomly-selected half of the sample if they hired a woman for the advertised role.The second paper, published by Assistant Prof Lahore School of Economics Dr Zunia Tirmazee, discussed whether supply or demand side constraints play a larger role in determining gender gaps in labour market outcomes in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2023.