Louise Grogan

Biography

Areas of Specialization: Labour Economics, Applied Micro

Louise Grogan joined the Dept. of Economics in 2002. She received a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics, an MA from the Université Catholique de Louvain and, a PhD from the Tinbergen Institute (University of Amsterdam). She is a Research Fellow of the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) in Bonn, a Fellow of the Global Labor Organization (GLO) and a Senior Research Fellow of the University of Central Asia. She is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief (with Charles Becker, Duke University) of Silk Road: A Journal of Eurasian Development.

Her current research examines the impact of regulatory change on labour markets and productivity in poor countries.

She has published in journals including Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Human Capital, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Comparative Economics, World Development, Economics of Transition, Economic Development and Cultural Change, and Journal of African Economies.

Dr. Louise Grogan is a professor in the Department of Economics and Finance specializing in labor economics and applied microeconomics.

In her recent article, "Manufacturing Employment and Women’s Agency: Evidence from Lesotho 2004–2014," published in the Journal of Development Economics, Dr. Grogan examines the impact of manufacturing employment on women’s health and decision-making power within households. The study focuses on the effects of the US African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000, which significantly increased women’s employment in ready-made garment (RMG) factories in new industrial zones in Lesotho. These RMG roles are often the first employment available to women outside of agriculture, with wages much higher than what they might be in agriculture for women in Lesotho. This increase in employment was followed by economic shocks caused by the phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Agreement and the 2008 Financial Crisis, which temporarily reduced well-paid RMG work opportunities.

The research leverages these economic fluctuations to identify the causal impacts of manufacturing employment on women's agency. Dr. Grogan's findings reveal that employment in the RMG sector significantly enhances women's decision-making power regarding household resources and their own health. The results show that women's status within their households is strongly affected by international demand for manufactured products. The same strong regulations and high wages which improved outcomes for women in Lesotho may also eventually induce the movement of factories to less expensive countries. By employing rigorous empirical analysis and innovative methodologies, the paper highlights how economic opportunities in the manufacturing sector can empower women and alter household decision-making dynamics.

Dr. Grogan's work contributes to the broader understanding of the relationship between international trade, industrialization, and gender empowerment. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and development practitioners aiming to enhance women's agency through employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

Grogan, L. (2023). Manufacturing employment and women’s agency: Evidence from Lesotho 2004-2014, Journal of Development Economics, 160, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102951.

View abstracts and full length articles @ RePEc (Research Papers in Economics): https://ideas.repec.org/e/pgr190.html#works

Louise's SSRN Website Link: http://ssrn.com/author=88441

Academic Publications (2012-2025 only):

Grogan, L (2025) "Employment without Empowerment: Low-wage manufacturing and intimate partner violence in Nicaragua, 1998-2012". World Development (forthcoming) [VOXDEV article, May 23rd 2025]

Grogan, L (2023) "Manufacturing employment and women's agency: Evidence from Lesotho 2004-2014" Journal of Development Economics Volume 160, 102951. [VOXDEV article, May 2nd 2023]

Grogan, L. (2021) "Civil War, Famine and the Persistence of Human Capital: Evidence from Tajikistan", Comparative Economic Studies, Volume 63, pages 577–602.

Grogan, L. and L. Moers (2020) ``Incomes and child health in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990-2018'' Journal of African Economies, Volume 30, Issue 4, August 2021, pages 301–323.

Grogan, L. and F. Summerfield (2019) ``Government Transfers, Work and Wellbeing: Evidence from the Russian Old-Age Pension'' Journal of Population Economics. Vol. 32, Issue 4, pp. 1247-1292

Grogan, L. (2018) ``Time Use Impacts of Rural Electrification: Longitudinal Evidence from Guatemala'' Journal of Development Economics. Vol. 134, p. 1-14. (leading article)

Grogan, L. (2018) ``Labour market conditions and cultural change: Evidence from Vietnam''. Journal of Human Capital, Vol. 12 No.1, p. 99-124.

Grogan, L. (2016) "Peoples of the enemy? Ukrainians and Russians 1995-2011''. Comparative Economic Studies. December 2016, Volume 58, Issue 4, pp 606–637

Grogan, L. (2016) "Household electrification, fertility and employment: Evidence from hydroelectric dam construction in Colombia" Journal of Human Capital, Vol. 10 no. 1, Spring, pp. 109–158

Grogan, L. and K. Koka (2013) "Economic Crises and Wellbeing: Social Norms and Home Production" Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization Volume 92, August, pp. 241–258

Grogan, L. and A. Sadanand (2013) “Electrification and Employment in Poor Households: Evidence from Nicaragua” World Development Vol. 43, pp. 252-265.

Grogan, L. (2012) "Household Formation Rules, Fertility and Female Labour Supply: Evidence from Post-Communist Countries" Journal of Comparative Economics Volume 41, Issue 4, Pages 959-1264 (November)

Recent popular writing (2018-2021):

The West Must Cut a Deal With the Taliban to Prevent Mass Starvation in Afghanistan The Conversation (December 2021) Reprinted in Asia Times

Young workers can thrive after coronavirus layoffs by leaving big cities The Conversation. (June 2020)

Employing youth during the coronavirus pandemic is a good investment (with Lucia Costanzo) The Conversation. (May 2020) Reprinted in Guelph Today

Breeding young men for export in poor countries The Conversation. (March 2019) Reprinted in The National Post

Water Access May be More Important Than Electricity for Sub-Saharan Africa (with Tselmunn Tserenkhuu) The Conversation. (Summer 2018).