Nidhiya Menon, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist

Nidhiya Menon is an Associate Professor of Economics at Brandeis University, and was on sabbatical at Wellesley Centers for Women for the 2010-2011 academic year. She is an empirical development economist who has worked on labor and gender-related topics in several countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan), East Asia (Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia), and more recently, Africa (Kenya). Additionally, her areas of expertise include program evaluation, risk analysis, and implementation of unconventional financing schemes such as micro-finance. Her research and publications span topics in development economics, labor, and economic demography. Some of her recent work considered how the global recession has affected labor market outcomes for men and women differently, and how female-owned firms in Kenya use technology to overcome regulatory obstacles. She has been a researcher at the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, and is currently a consultant with the World Bank. She is also a Research Fellow at IZA. She holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Mount Holyoke College, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Brown University.


Publications/Forthcoming in Refereed Journals:

“How Access to Credit Affects Self-Employment: Differences by Gender during India’s Rural Banking Reform,” with Yana Rodgers. Journal of Development Studies, forthcoming.

“Investment Credit and Child Labor,” Applied Economics, 2010, 42(12), 1461-1479.

“Public Programs Pare Poverty: Evidence from Chile,” with David Glick. Bulletin of Economic Research, 2009, 61(3), 249-282.

“International Trade and the Gender Wage Gap: New Evidence from India’s Manufacturing Sector,” with Yana Rodgers. World Development, 2009, 37(5), 965-981.

“Rainfall Uncertainty and Occupational Choice in Agricultural Households of Rural Nepal,” Journal of Development Studies, 2009, 45(6), 864-888.

“Learning, Diversification, and the Nature of Risk,” with Narayanan Subramanian. Economic Theory, 2008, 35(1), 117-145.

“The Relationship between Labor Unionization and the Number of Working Children in India,” Indian Economic Journal, 2007, 54(3), 133-151.

“Labor Conflicts and Foreign Investments: An Analysis of FDI in India,” with Paroma Sanyal. Review of Development Economics, 2007, 11(4), 629-644.

“Inter-dependencies in Micro-Credit Groups: Evidence from Repayment Data.” Journal of Developing Areas, 2007, 40(2), 111-132.

“Long Term Benefits of Membership in Microfinance Programs,” Journal of International Development, 2006, 18, 571-594.

“Non-Linearities in Returns to Participation in Grameen Bank Programs.” Journal of Development Studies, 2006, 42(8), 1379-1400.

“Labor Disputes and the Economics of Firm Geography: A Study of Domestic Investment in India,” with Paroma Sanyal. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2005, 53(4), 825-854.

Chapters and Articles in Edited Volumes:

“Trade Policy Liberalization and Gender Equality in the Labor Market: New Evidence for India,” Rutgers University World Affairs Review, Fall 2008, Issue 3, pp. 1-25 (with Yana Rodgers).

“Gender Inequality in the Labor Market During Economic Transition: Changes in India’s Manufacturing Sector,” in Ravi Kanbur and Jan Svejnar (eds.), Labor Markets and Economic Development. London and New York: Routledge Press, 2009, pp. 341-363 (with Yana Rodgers).

Working Papers:

“Gender and Conflict in Nepal: Testing for “Added Worker” Effects,” with Yana Rodgers. June 2010.

“Impact of the Food, Fuel, and Financial Crisis on the Philippine Labor Market,” with Yana Rodgers. August 2010.

“Spatial Decentralization and Program Evaluation: Theory and an Example from Indonesia,” with Mark Pitt. August 2010.

“Using Technology to Overcome Regulatory Obstacles in Africa: Evidence from Firms with Female Principal Owners in Kenya.” August 2010.