Fenella Carpena

About

I am an Associate Professor of Economics at the Oslo Business School, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). Prior to joining OsloMet, I obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017.

My main research interest is development economics. My work seeks to understand the challenges facing households and enterprises in low- and middle-income countries, and the policies and interventions that can help address them. I study these issues empirically using both experimental and quasi-experimental methods.

Much of my earlier research was conducted in India, where I carried out extensive fieldwork. In this context, I examined the effects of drought on rural households’ food consumption and nutrition, the impact of financial education on savings and other financial outcomes among low-income populations, and the consequences of early marriage for women’s political participation.

My current research focuses on the sustainable development of enterprises. I lead a project funded by the Research Council of Norway’s Early Career Researcher Grant that examines the effects of typhoons on local enterprise development. I also lead a project funded by the Norwegian Finance Market Fund that studies whether responsible investment practices encourage more sustainable corporate behavior.

For more information about my research and ongoing projects, please visit my website: https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~fcarpena/

Field of study

Development economics Microfinance Experimental economics Household finance

Research groups

Economics and Methodology

Research projects

Ongoing research projects

Can responsible investment induce sustainable corporate behavior? Evidence from the worlds largest equity investor
Can responsible investing help to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
Typhoon Effects on Enterprises in the Philippines (TEMPEST)
This project aims to better understand the economic effects of typhoons.

Completed research projects

Heterogeneous Investors and Asset Allocations
In this project, we study how Norwegian households respond to monetary policy changes.

Scientific publications

Carpena, Fenella Cordova (2024). Entertainment-Education for Better Health: Insights from a Field Experiment in India. Journal of Development Studies.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2024.2312832

Carpena, Fenella ; Swinkels, Laurens; Zhang, Dan (2023). The effects of COVID-19 policies on consumer spending in Norway. Contemporary economic policy. Vol. 42.
https://doi.org/10.1111/coep.12627

Carpena, Fenella ; Jensenius, Francesca Refsum (2021). Age of marriage and women’s political engagement: Evidence from india. Journal of Politics. Vol. 83.
https://doi.org/10.1086/712141

Carpena, Fenella ; Zia, Bilal (2020). The Causal Mechanism of Financial Education: Evidence from Mediation Analysis. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. Vol. 177.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.05.001

Carpena, Fenella (2019). How Do Droughts Impact Household Food Consumption and Nutritional Intake? A Study of Rural India. World Development. Vol. 122.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.06.005

Carpena, Fenella ; Cole, Shawn; Shapiro, Jeremy; Zia, Bilal (2017). The ABCs of Financial Education: Experimental Evidence on Attitudes, Behavior, and Cognitive Biases. Management science. Vol. 65.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2819

Carpena, Fenella ; Cole, Shawn; Shapiro, Jeremy; Zia, Bilal (2013). Liability Structure in Small-scale Finance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment. World Bank Economic Review.
https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhs031

Bruhn, Miriam; Carpena, Fenella ; Zia, Bilal (2012). Microfinance for Entrepreneurs. Cumming, Douglas (Ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurial Finance. Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391244.013

These publications are obtained from Norwegian Research Information Repository. The list may be incomplete.