
Jessica Leight
Research Fellow, IFPRI
Jessica Leight is a Research Fellow in the Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division at IFPRI; previously, she served as an assistant professor of economics at American University from 2017 to 2019 and Williams College from 2013 to 2017. She received a Ph.D. in economics at MIT in 2013, a M.Phil. in Economics at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar in 2008, and a B.A. from Yale University in 2006. Her research agenda focuses on human capital accumulation for women and girls as well as agricultural institutions and structural transformation, and has been funded by the Macarthur Foundation, the Fondation de France, USAID, the Department of Labor, and a number of other donors.
Recent work by Jessica Leight
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The long-run effect of public works employment: Evidence from Tunisia
Public works employment in Tunisia has large, positive effects for both directly targeted individuals and their neighbours in the short-term, which...
Articles : Labour Markets & Migration
Published 03.02.23
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Impact of WTO accession: Structural transformation in China
China’s accession to WTO reduced trade policy uncertainty, spurred structural change towards manufacturing and services, and increased economic growth
Published 07.02.22
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Land rights and agricultural productivity: Evidence from China
Weak land rights among farmers reduces agricultural productivity and output, hitting skilled farmers hardest
Tasso Adamopoulos Loren Brandt Jessica Leight Diego Restuccia
Published 24.01.22
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Do voters hold politicians accountable for vote-buying?
When voters receive payments, politicians are given greater leniency, and in turn steal more
Audio : Institutions & Political Economy
Jessica Leight Dana Foarta Rohini Pande Laura Ralston
Published 20.10.21
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The impact of school-based life skills classes for adolescent girls in India
School-based life skills classes can change attitudes, strengthen social connections, and help girls assert more control over their lives while...
Articles : Labour Markets & Migration
Eric Edmonds Ben Feigenberg Jessica Leight
Published 31.08.20