Jessica Leight

@leightjessica.bsky.social

6.5K followers 1.2K following 1.1K posts

Development economist, @Yale / @UniofOxford / @MIT. Asso editor, REHO + CER. Editorial board member, BMC Public Health + PloS One. Structural transformation, agriculture, gender, IPV. Views my own

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Economics 25%

Public Health 17%

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Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 14h

Plus lots more policy-relevant research in the macro sphere - check out her work!

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I am an Economist at the International Monetary Fund, specializing in development economics with a focus on social protection, labor markets, and migration. I hold a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where my research examined the dynamics of poverty,

sites.google.com

Reposted by Clark Gray

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 14h

Another paper shows long-term effects of cash transfers on youth mobility, particularly youth mobility for marriage, in Malawi
drive.google.com/fil...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 14h

A handbook chapter explores the potential of linking social protection to complementary services
www.elgaronline.com/...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 14h

One published paper joint w/ @ashudirect + other @PublicPolicyUNC colleagues shows that in both Malawi + Zimbabwe, cash transfers affect measures of economic preferences (incl intertemporal choice)
academic.oup.com/jae...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 14h

Today's cool young researcher #econtwitter #econsky is @MarwaIbPhD @IMFNews who works on topics related to social protection, migration + labor

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

+ @TilmanGraff presents fascinating findings around high rates of depreciation in the capital stock in Uganda, with implications for macro estimates of capital stock + the returns to capital

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

@KaOrtizb shows that land consolidation in Colombia following on a process of trade liberalization leads to ⬆️ unemployment

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

de Vries presented a newly calibrated model of industrialization in sub-Saharan Africa vis-a-vis Asia joint w/@eb_mensah @kunalsen5 @hagen_kruse

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

In the next session on structural transformation, I presented evidence around the large positive (but heterogeneous) effects of a graduation model intervention on IDPs in Somalia
joint w/ @NKarachiwalla

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

@Sarah_Winton_ shows that granting research permits to Jordanian refugees in Syria leads to re-sorting with Jordanians exiting occupations that are highly exposed to refugees + showing upskilling into other occupations

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

@Katlamity shows that population flows during Partition are preditive of current patterns of economic activity in India today

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

Philip shows that slum redevelopment in India frequently leads to permanent displacement (to other slums) as targeted housing is not constructed in the original slums

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

@melesemesay shows that areas in Ethiopia that experienced historic patterns of resettlement show ⬆️ violence when ethnicity becomes more salient

Reposted by Alistair Munro

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 2d

Starting my #econtwitter #econsky recap 🧵 for #neudc2025 @TuftsEconomics! First session: displaced persons. Tamim shows that a housing subsidy for Syrian refugees in Jordan had only minor positive economic effects + led to a deterioration in relations btw hosts + refugees

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 4d

If you're headed to NEUDC this weekend - me too! Will be presenting the effects of graduation model for IDPs in Baidoa, Somalia - one of the first RCTs ever conducted in this country - on Sat morning. Excited to see a whole range of new papers, esp from cool young researchers!

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 4d

2-year-old has decided he hates both shirts and socks (he grudgingly accepts pants) so now I'm the one carrying him into school wearing shoes but no socks and screaming his head off because I did in fact force him to put on a shirt

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 5d

Just asked chatgpt a really dumb question and it informed me that's a great + nuanced question that shows I really understand the topic. Thanks for the effort buddy, you're not fooling me though

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 6d

Fifth: careful writing about your findings is important, but it also can't make up for an incomprehensible exhibit. Publish nice tables! Your happy readers will thank you.

(and I may do a follow-up post about figures soon!)

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 6d

Fourth: tables should be printed in order of 1st appearance in the text, and within them, panels and columns should similarly be ordered. W/ rare exceptions, you should be describing tables/columns moving linearly forward from 1st to last. Automatic cross-referencing is wise.

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 6d

Third: every table needs a caption (both a number and some text) and table notes. Captions should generally not be too long and should be consistent in structure across tables.

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 6d

Second: it's a table, not a vision test. Not too crowded! Rule of 👍: no more than eight columns for portrait page; 12 in landscape. Minimize additional lines, either horizontal or vertical. Bells + whistles (symbols, colors) usually unnecessary + may not be understandable.

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Todd Pugatch

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 6d

Short 🧵 on boring but imp topic: how to format tables! First, + most imp point: table in an econ paper should be comprehensible w/o any cross-reference to text. Variables should be clearly defined (not "lnconsexp"; write "Consumption)"; + specification described in notes

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

Plus WIP on firm wage-setting behavior, housing, + lots lots more - check out his work!
ludelgad.github.io/

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

A paper R&R at JDE joint w/ Otero-Cortés + Calderόn shows that entrance of hard discount stores in Colombia ⬆️ local formal employment by 10%, w/spillovers from retail to manufacturing
ludelgad.github.io/f...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

And evidence about monopsony power within firms showing that the welfare losses are larger for managers than for frontline workers
ajanez.github.io/fil...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

Another paper uses matched employer-employee data to assess a similar question + finds that as immigrants concentrate in informal sector, formal employment at minimum wage falls (due to substitution into informal sector)
ludelgad.github.io/f...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

One published paper in JPopEcon analyzes labor market effects of Venezuelan immigration to Colombia + finds evidence of ⬇️ wages in the informal sector; + ⬇️ employment in the formal sector where minimum wages are binding
link.springer.com/ar...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

Today's cool young researcher #econtwitter #econsky is @LaDelgadoP @unioslo who works on topics related to labor, development, immigration + firms

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

And Deng @NellyElmallakh @RobertaGattiECO
show return on compulsory education in Egypt is more than triple bride price + 20% ⬆️ in husband's income - though *no* effect on employment!

Both linked here
www.journals.uchicag...

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · 7d

Two interesting new papers #econtwitter #econsky about intrahousehold allocation Qs in EDCC! From @nehaaecon + Milazzo: evidence across 44 countries shows that mothers of first-born daughters have ⬆️ incidence of anemia, ⬇️ survival into old age

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