Three Essays in Development Economics

Abstract

Vietnam has risen to become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, yet the path to sustainable long-run economic growth remains elusive. This goal is further complicated by concerns about inequity and the recent global pandemic. In this dissertation, I tackle three important issues related to the quest for sustainable economic growth in Vietnam. I first examine whether expanding access to higher education has any impact on productivity at the worker level and firm level. I found that exposed workers are more likely to work in the service sector and, thus, the productivity of service firms rises in the long run. Second, I examine whether extending the maternity leave requirement has any implications on women's decisions to work in the formal sector. My findings indicate that women are more likely to move from informal work into formal jobs when the government extends the required maternity leave length from four months to six months. Third, I propose a new method to understand the impacts of the global pandemic on food security in Vietnam at a granular level.