Synopsis

The destruction caused by wars and conflicts extends beyond its physical domain and has a drastic impact on mental health, which can impair cognitive and non-cognitive skills in individuals. This talk presents a study that investigated how conflicts affect individuals’ locus of control. Locus of control describes the extent to which a person believes that an outcome is dependent on his own behavior or that of outside causes, and plays a vital role in human capital and labor outcomes. Using data from over 400,000 individuals across 105 countries, this talk will discuss empirical findings and how the life stage at which conflicts are experienced matters. Important policy implications will also be discussed.

Speaker

Deng Ruotong is currently a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC). She will receive her PhD in Economics from the Nanyang Technological University soon. She previously obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Singapore Management University. Her research interests are development economics and applied microeconomics.