By Anjali Kini Meghalaya, located in the Northeast of India, is one of the few still existing matrilineal societies in the world. It is also one of the few states in the country where the sex ratio is not skewed (989 as per the 2011 census and among the highest in the country) and female […]
By Julia Maselli The topic of gender equality and empowerment, and the role of women in development has been long discussed among scholars and researchers for decades. During 2020, the government of Meghalaya, India decided that, among a plethora of COVID-19 policies and regulations, they would also commit to gender empowerment protocols. The State of […]
By Emanne Khan Quotas that reserve a certain portion of seats in government for disadvantaged groups are widely utilized across the globe. Over half of all countries—135, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance—have targeted women for such programs, including China, Australia, South Africa and much of the European Union. Gender quotas […]
Social networks are a key ingredient in the process of economic development. A large literature has established that social networks influence individual behavior and outcomes in myriad ways, but the bulk of this literature has focused on social interactions in the context of microfinance groups. To date, little is known about how social networks can […]
By Emanne Khan Family planning and access to contraception protect the well-being of mothers and children by reducing the risks of unintended pregnancy, infertility, infant mortality and sexually transmitted diseases. Unmet need for family planning is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries, with the Guttmacher Institute estimating that a staggering 225 million women […]
Intervals of less than 24 months between pregnancies and births can adversely affect maternal and child health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. While studies suggest that improving access to family planning services may also improve women’s contraceptive use and reduce fertility, high-quality evidence of the effect of family planning interventions on longer-term fertility and birth spacing […]
Vaccination against COVID-19, including the recommended booster shot, is a critical line of defense against severe illness, hospitalization and death. Communities with low vaccination rates may be particularly vulnerable to future waves of COVID-19. While vaccine uptake in Massachusetts is high relative to the US average, a number of eligible individuals remain unvaccinated and an […]
By Emanne Khan In Spring 2022, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) hosted two research seminars with visiting scholars who presented new findings and received feedback from fellow experts on study design and methodology. The mission of HCI is to advance interdisciplinary research on the role of human capital in human development to inform policy solutions […]
Family, as the most basic social institution in the world, has been of longstanding interest to researchers and policymakers alike. Studies of family structure in developed societies have predominantly examined kinship and intrafamilial ties within nuclear family settings, with an extensive literature devoted to marital and parent–child relationships. In contrast, relationships within nonnuclear family structures […]
By Emanne Khan Since 1993, India has experienced two competing dynamics. That year, the national government passed the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which includes among its provisions that village councils (panchayats) must reserve no less than one-third of seats for women. While the amendment legally granted women an unprecedented level of political representation, long-standing social […]