Research projects include:
Motives underlying prenatal sex-selection
Due to sex-selective abortions, Armenia and Georgia have highly skewed sex ratios at birth. This study aims at understanding the social motives supporting son preferences within nuclear families and across different regions. The project is funded by UNICEF, Switzerland.
The persistence and abandonment of female genital cutting
This project aims to understand the decision-making mechanisms that support female genital cutting within and across communities. In addition, the project develops and evaluates interventions designed to improve attitudes towards uncut girls. The project is funded by UNICEF, Switzerland.
Conditional cash transfer programs and parental investments
Brazil has for more than a decade implemented the world’s largest conditional cash transfer program. We examine whether participation in the program feeds back to influence the aspirations parents have for their children. The study will be implemented via mobile phones.
Social mechanisms to reduce corrupt behaviour
The projects tests if piece-rate payments versus institutions promoting social accountability reduce bribery in higher education. Laboratory experiments will take place in Columbia.
Teaching
Sonja has taught a variety of university courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level, with topics that include experimental economics, social network theory, statistics and organizational sociology.
