Wellbeing
This theme investigates the intricate relationship between wellbeing and the economy.
Our research explores how wellbeing is shaped by expectations, institutions, economic shocks and gender and race divisions, and identifies interventions that promote wellbeing and productivity.
Theme leaders
Sonia Bhalotra
Sonia is Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick
Natalia Zinovyeva
Natalia is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick.
Current and future research
The spectrum of wellbeing includes happiness, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and physical and mental health. We want to identify interventions that leverage synergies between wellbeing and productivity to improve the lifecourse and intergenerational trajectories of both. To do this, we use linked administrative data and primary purpose-built data.
To isolate causality from correlation we analyse policy experiments and implement randomized control trials and survey and laboratory experiments. We consistently seek to understand the mechanisms driving any causal association as this helps finetune and target policy.
Among individual-level barriers we consider stigma and self-image concerns; the family-level risk factors we consider include maternal depression and domestic violence; school-level risk factors include testing regimes and teacher competencies, the institutions we consider include mental health treatment protocols and physician prescribing styles, child custody and foster care.
We have created a network of researchers on mental health. We hold a day workshop every year, aiming to create a forum for exchange, collaboration and feedback. Our theme launch workshop will be held in January 2024.
Research highlights
- Maternal Investments in Children : The Role of Expected Effort and Returns, Sonia Bhalotra, Adeline Delavande, Paulino Font-Gilabert, and Joanna Maselko, CAGE working paper ( no.637) , 2022.
- Maternal depression, women's empowerment, and parental investment: Evidence from a randomized control trial. Victoria Baranov, Sonia Bhalotra, Pietro Biroli and Joanna Maselko, American Economic Review, 2022.
- The distribution of the gender wage gap: An equilibrium model. Sonia Bhalotra, Manuel Fernandez-Sierra and Fan Wang. IZA working paper (no.15258), 2022.
- Maternal mortality and women's political participation. Sonia Bhalotra, Damian Clarke, Joseph Gomes and Atheendar Venkataramani. Journal of the European Economic Association. 2023.
- US Presidential party switches are mirrored in global maternal mortality. Sonia Bhalotra, Damian Clarke, Hanna Mühlrad and Manuel Fernández Sierra, CAGE Policy Brief (no. 35), 2022.
- Women's Fertility and Labor Market Responses to a Health Innovation. Sonia Bhalotra, Atheendar Venkataramani and Selma Walther. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2023.
- Infant health, cognitive performance and earnings: Evidence from inception of the welfare state in Sweden. Sonia Bhalotra, Martin Karlsson, Therese Nilsson, Nina Schwarz. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2022.
- The right to health and the health effects of denials. Sonia Bhalotra and Manuel Fernández Sierra. IZA discussion paper (no. 14685), 2023.
- Twin births and maternal condition. Sonia Bhalotra and Damian Clarke. Review of Economics and Statistics, 2019.
- Infant health and longevity: Evidence from a historical intervention in Sweden. Sonia Bhalotra, Martin Karlsson and Therese Nilsson. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2017.
Feature
Treating maternal depression. Sonia Bhalotra explains how cognitive behavioural therapy can help mothers invest more time and money in their children .
Forthcoming Event
Lecture: Evidence on the Treatment of Maternal and Child Mental Disorders.
Professor Sonia Bhalotra (University of Warwick) and Professor Siobhan O’Neill (Ulster University and NI Mental Health Champion) will be speaking at a public event at Queen’s University, Belfast.
This lecture will discuss interventions which may help children and mothers with mental disorders and potentially improve further life-course outcomes including female empowerment, parenting decisions and children’s educational outcomes.
Date: April 28, 2023
Location: Conferences Rooms 1 & 2, Riddel Hall, 185 Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5EE
Time: 11:00 – 14:00