How can social-impact organizations improve their effectiveness by shaping the discretionary effort of their frontline workers?
This field experiment (with Sarang Deo & Pooja Ravikumar) tests a novel ‘mission training’ intervention for India’s rural community health workers (CHWs) in Bihar, India. Moving beyond financial and career incentives, we focus on directing workers‘ attention to mission-relevant priorities, fostering an internalization of the mission, and equipping workers with concrete behavioural repertoires. We conduct an RCT among 984 CHWs, draw on a novel lab-in-field simulation and large-scale beneficiary surveys (~8000) to examine how and when ‘mission training’ increases CHWs’ reach to the populations most in need.

(How) Can entrepreneurial social connections be engineered for women in poverty settings?
This project (with Aparajita Agarwal, Valentina Assenova and Jasjit Singh) focuses on women in low-income settings, to examine how organized group activities can foster new connections that help them gain exposure, build confidence, and pursue entrepreneurial ventures. This study uses novel survey data from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in rural India.