Fajardo-Gonzalez, Deisy Johanna2017-10-092017-10-092017-06http://hdl.handle.net/11299/190436University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2017. Major: Applied Economics. Advisors: Marc Bellemare, Paul Glewwe. 1 computer file (PDF); xi, 152 pages.This dissertation is comprised of three independent essays that address, respectively, spousal violence and female employment in Colombia, inequality of opportunity in adult health in Colombia, and welfare of rural Peruvian households. The evidence presented in the first essay, ”Intimate Partner Violence and Women’s Employment: Evidence from Colombia,” suggests that victims of intimate partner violence are more likely to work. This relationship is likely mediated by a wife’s decision-making power: women seem to engage in paid work to escape violent situations at home by enhancing their decision-making power. The second essay, ”Inequality of Opportunity in Adult Health in Colombia,” suggests that differences in parental educational attainment and household socioeconomic status during childhood are the most important dimensions of inequality of opportunity in adult health. The third essay, ”Foods and Fads: The Welfare Impacts of Rising Quinoa Prices in Peru,” shows that increases in the international price of quinoa, which have been driven by a high international demand of quinoa, are associated with a significant yet modest increase in the welfare of households in areas where quinoa is consumed and produced in Peru.enThesis or Dissertation