1 October 2025, 15:15 CET
Seminar Room 1.205
Timo Stefan Münz
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Epigenetic adaptations around conception can help organisms adjust to their future environment. Pre-conception cold exposure is thought to increase active brown fat mass, and as brown fat metabolizes stored energy to generate heat, this helps adjust to life in cold environments. We examine the implications of this process for human metabolic health. We use data on 430,000 individuals born between 1934 and 1971 from the UK Biobank, and match these to historical temperature data. To isolate causal impacts of temperature, we utilize day-specific temperature deviations during the calculated pre-conception period relative to the long-term mean temperature for the same location and day of year. This approach leverages a quasi-random variation in temperature. We find that individuals conceived when temperatures were lower than usual have lower body mass indices (BMI), smaller waist circumferences, and lower levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol in adulthood, while there was no evidence for an effect on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). These findings have implications for potential health effects of climate change, and more strongly, for effects of improved indoor insulation.
Francisco Ceballos
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
This study explores the association between migration in a household and the empowerment of women who remain behind, using 2023/24 panel data from 1,094 households in Western Honduras. Empowerment was measured across multiple domains—including intrinsic agency, instrumental agency, collective agency, agency-enabling resources, and time use —drawing on indicators from the Women’s Empowerment Metric for National Statistical Systems (WEMNS) and pro-WEAI—, but only during the second survey round. To address selection bias when comparing household with and without recent domestic or cross-border migrants, we rely on three alternative approaches: controlling for a household’s ex ante migration propensity, comparing households with migrants only to households that reported unsuccessful migration attempts, and matching household in both groups across baseline characteristics. We find that migration —particularly cross-border— of a household member is positively associated with instrumental agency (e.g., influence over livelihood and spending decisions), collective agency (participation and leadership in organizations), and use of financial services, though we find no significant association between migration and intrinsic agency or time-use indicators. These findings suggest that migration may strengthen certain dimensions of empowerment, while others may remain unchanged in the short term.
Janina Steinert
Technical University of Munich
This study examines the long-term effects of an in-kind transfer program that distributed bicycles to adolescent girls across 91 schools in Zambia’s Southern Province in 2017. Using data from a randomized field experiment, we analyze outcomes five years post-intervention. Our findings reveal complex and unexpected results that challenge conventional assumptions about development interventions. Paradoxically, while the intervention aimed to empower girls and potentially delay marriage and childbearing, it led to increased rates of early marriage and pregnancy among the treatment group, contrasting with the program’s initial objectives and the girls’ reported aspirations. We posit that these unexpected results may stem from the improved socioeconomic status due to the bicycle program, potentially increasing girls’ perceived value in the marriage market, as indicated by an increase in bride price. Despite these unanticipated effects, the intervention had positive impacts on girls’ self-reported empowerment and reduced incidences of domestic and intimate partner violence. These results underscore the intricate relationship between economic interventions and socio-cultural norms in developing contexts, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the complexities inherent in promoting gender equity and empowerment. Our findings highlight the importance of considering multifaceted outcomes and potential unintended consequences in development programming.