Journal Articles
Does reluctance to share personal data reduce citizen demand for personalized services? Evidence from a survey experiment. Santamaria, J., Roseth, B., Aguirre, F. (2025). Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.
Abstract: Digital transformation has brought two conflicting trends: a demand for more customized services requiring the use of personal data, and a concern for data protection. Reconciling these trends may influence personalized public service design and adoption strategies. This study explores how to mitigate citizens’ reluctance to share data on personalized public services. Through a survey experiment, we offered two hypothetical services: one educational service (scholarship) and one health-related service (checkup). Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three groups, receiving different information: (i) a summary of service benefits; (ii) a summary of benefits with a data use disclosure; and (iii) a data usage disclosure. The findings show strong baseline interest in personalized services. However, data-use disclosures reduced interest in both services, resulting in declines of 2.7 to 3.0 percentage points. Providing detailed service descriptions increased interest by 5.0 and 6.1 percentage points for education and health services, respectively. This suggests that offering information about the benefits of the service can offset concerns about data privacy. These effects remained consistent among different population groups.[Working Paper]
#StayAtHome: Social Distancing Policies and Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. Aromi, D., Bonel, M.P., Cristia, J., Llada, M., Pereira, J., Pulido, X., Santamaria, J. (2023). Economía.
Abstract: This study examines the impact on human mobility of social distancing policies implemented in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries in March 2020. We use cell phone data and variation across countries regarding the adoption of these policies and their timing to estimate effects on the percentage of people traveling more than 1 kilometer per day. Results indicate that lockdowns reduced mobility by 10 percentage points during the 15 days following its implementation. This accounts for a third of the decline in mobility between the first week in March and the first week in April in countries that implemented lockdowns. The effect during the second week of implementation is 28% lower compared to the effect documented during the first week. Additionally, we find that school closures reduced mobility by 4 percentage points, but no effects were found for bars and restaurants closures and the cancellation of public events. [Working paper] [Research Insights]
Tenurial Security and Agricultural Investment. Bellemare, M.F., Chua, K., Santamaria, J., and Vu, K. (2020). Food policy, 101894.
Abstract: In Vietnam, all lands belong to the state, which assigns usufruct rights to those lands to individuals and households. In 1993, the state gave 20-year usufruct rights to growers of annual crops, and 50-year usufruct rights to growers of perennial crops. In 2013, as the usufruct rights of growers of annual crops were about to expire, the Vietnamese government passed a law—the Land Law of 2013—that extended the usufruct rights of all landowners by 50 years. We exploit this largely unanticipated shock to study the effect of tenurial security on agricultural investment. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that the Land Law of 2013 is associated with a higher likelihood of investment by growers of annual crops in irrigation technology or soil and water conservation, but not other types of investment. Our results are robust to controlling for endogenous switching from annual to perennial crops, and our data support the parallel trends assumption. [Replication materials]
How Does Poverty Differ Among Refugees? Taking a Gender Lens to the Data on Syrian Refugees in Jordan. Hanmer, L., Arango, d., Rubiano, E., Santamaria, J., (2020). Middle East Journal of Development.
Abstract: Many reports document the hardships experienced by refugees, highlighting that women and children are a highly vulnerable group. However, empirical analysis of how gender inequality impacts poverty among refugees is limited. We combine registration data for Syrian refugees in Jordan collected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with data from its Home Visit surveys to analyze income poverty rates among refugee households. We use an approach that captures the disruption to household structures that results from displacement to evaluate the poverty impacts, comparing refugee households with male and female principal applicants (PAs). We find that distinguishing between different types of principal applicant households is important. Half of the female PAs for nonnuclear households live below the poverty line compared to only one-fifth of male PAs for nonnuclear household. PAs who are widows and widowers also face high poverty risks. Households that have formed because of the unpredictable dynamics of forced displacement, such as unaccompanied children and single caregivers, emerge as extremely vulnerable groups. We show that differences in household composition and individual attributes of male and female PAs are not the only factors driving increased poverty risk. Gender-specific barriers which prevent women accessing labor markets are also a factor. Our findings show that gender inequality amplifies the poverty experienced by a significant number of refugees. Our approach can be used to help policy-makers design more effective programs of assistance and find durable solutions for displaced populations.
Economic Shocks and Crime: Evidence from the Crash of Ponzi Schemes. Cortés, D., Santamaria, J., and Vargas, J.F (2016). Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 131, 263-275.
Abstract: In November 2008, Colombian authorities dismantled a network of Ponzi schemes, making hundreds of thousands of investors lose tens of millions of dollars throughout the country. Using original data on the geographical incidence of the Ponzi schemes, this paper estimates the impact of their breakdown on crime. We find that the crash of Ponzi schemes differentially exacerbated crime in affected districts. Confirming the intuition of the standard economic model of crime, this effect is only present in places with relatively weak judicial and law enforcement institutions, and with little access to consumption smoothing mechanisms such as microcredit. In addition, we show that, with the exception of economically-motivated felonies such as robbery, violent crime is not affected by the negative shock.
Books and chapters in books
¿(Dis)connected? Digital Public Services and the Challenge of Equity. Pombo, C., Roseth, B., Santamaria, J., Rivas, C., Vasquez, M. (forthcoming).
Experimentos de Campo en Gobierno Digital: ¿Por qué y Cómo hacerlos?. Roseth, B., Santamaria, J. (2024). In Álvarez, D. G., Marín, C. R., et al. Pensar fuera de la caja burocrática. Laboratorios de innovación en América Latina.
Digitalization Is Just the Beginning: Maximizing the Potential of Online Transactional Services. Algarra, P., Roseth, B., Santamaria, J., Vlaicu, R. (2022) In Cristia, J., and Vlaicu, R., Digitalizing Public Services: Opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean. [Blog]
Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity. Klugman, J., Hanmer, L., Twigg, S., Hasan, T., McCleary-Sills, J., and Santamaria, J. (2014). The World Bank.
Working papers
General Skills Training for Public Employees: Experimental Evidence on Cybersecurity Training in Argentina. Keefer, P., Roseth, B., Santamaria, J. (2024). IADB Working Papers.
Abstract: Cyberattacks have risen to become one of the most critical global risks. Despite increasing investments to combat cyberattacks, there remains a significant, often unnoticed vulnerability: employees. Previous literature reveals that over two-thirds of cyberattacks within organizations result from employee negligence. While strengthening cybersecurity through employee training is essential, traditional methods often fall short. In this study, we tested different approaches to reduce risk exposure to phishing, one of the most common types of cyberattacks, focusing on a sector and context unaddressed by previous literature: the public sector in a developing country (Argentina). We randomly allocated 1,918 public servants to a control group and two treatment groups to compare the effectiveness of online trainingcommonly used to promote behavior changes on ancillary workplace topics such as ethics, discrimination, and data protectionversus a "learning-by-doing" approach, which involved sending repeated phishing emails followed by educational emails. Our findings indicate that the learning-by-doing approach is superior for enhancing phishing email detection, resulting in fewer phishing emails opened, fewer clicks on phishing links, and improved reporting of suspicious emails. This strategy is particularly effective among permanent public officials compared to contractors, as well as among female employees. These findings not only inform organizational cybersecurity practices but also have broader implications for influencing employee behavior on other important workplace topics.
What Works in the Promotion of Digital Public Services? Roseth, B., Santamaria, J., Berton, J., Dornel, S. (forthcoming).
Abstract: Digital public services expand access to benefits, rights, and obligations at lower costs for both citizens and governments, yet promoting their availability and encouraging adoption remains a challenge. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of three communication channels—SMS, WhatsApp, and phone calls—in promoting digital identification in Uruguay, an official credential that enables individuals to prove their identity online and that carries potential benefits such as greater financial inclusion, easier access to services, and enhanced security. Using a sample of 15,000 people, we find that both WhatsApp and phone calls significantly increased awareness of digital identification, with WhatsApp emerging as the most cost-effective channel. However, none of the interventions led to higher adoption or usage, which we interpret as stemming from high transactional costs of obtaining the credential and widespread confusion among citizens about the different identification options available.
Work in Progress
‘When a Stranger Shall Sojourn with Thee’: The Impact of the Venezuelan Exodus on Colombian Labor Markets. Santamaria, J.
I use the massive immigration flow of Venezuelans to Colombia in recent years and the timing of the events to evaluate its effects on wages and employment. I find close to zero changes in wages and employment in the formal and informal sectors. [Read more]
The Impact of Protracted Displacement on Syrian Refugees in Jordan: The Evolution of Household Composition and Poverty Rates. Santamaria, J., Hanmer, L., Rubiano, E.
This paper examines the influence of gender inequality on expenditure among Syrian refugees in Jordan between 2013 and 2018. Findings show that spending distribution has shifted over time, negatively affecting female-headed households. [Read more]
Differences in Household Composition: Hidden Dimensions of Poverty and Displacement in Somalia. Hanmer, L., Rubiano, E. Santamaria, J.
We study the relationship between the disruption to household structures after displacement and barriers to accessing economic opportunities among Somalian Internally Displaced Populations. [Read more]
A Multi-Country Analysis of Multidimensional Poverty in Contexts of Forced Displacement. Admasu, Y., Alkire, S., Ekhantor, U., Kovesdi, F., Santamaria, J., Sharlin-Pettee, S.
We analyze a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and monetary poverty in five countries with large numbers of displaced populations: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. We examine mismatches and overlaps in the identification of the poor by both measures.