Essays on Labor and Development Economics

Abstract

The increase in political Islam over the past few decades has given rise to concerns that political Islam is oppressive to women. Some of these concerns stem from an existing cor- relation between low labor force participation and Muslim-majority countries. In the first two chapters of this dissertation, I examine the impact of Islamic regulations in Indonesia on various outcomes for women. I find that regions that pass Islamic regulations had lower female employment rates prior to passing the regulations, but there is no additional negative effect arising from these regulations. I also find that female educational attainment increases significantly in regions that pass mandatory tithing (zakat) regulations. In the third chapter of this dissertation, I create a new data set to analyze the relationship between attendance of a government sponsored employment workshop and subsequent em- ployment outcomes for veterans who are transitioning from the military to civilian life. I find that attendance of the workshop is associated with a shorter duration between separating from the military and finding employment.