Mahesh Karra

Mahesh Karra is an Assistant Professor of Global Development Policy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and the Associate Director of the Human Capital Initiative at the Global Development Policy Center. His academic and research interests are broadly in development economics, health economics, quantitative methods, and applied demography. His research utilizes experimental and non-experimental methods to investigate the relationships between population, health, and economic development in low- and middle-income countries. He has conducted field work in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, and his current research uses randomized controlled trials to evaluate the health and economic effects of improving access to family planning and maternal and child health services in Malawi, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. He has also worked for the Population Reference Bureau and the Futures Group International and served as a consultant to the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Population Council.

Dr. Karra holds a B.A. in Economics and Hispanic Studies (Joint Hons) from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Economics from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, and an Sc.D. in Global Health Economics from Harvard University.

Professor Karra’s areas of expertise include development economics, health economics, maternal and child health, applied demography, population economics, applied econometrics, and impact evaluation.

Specialization

Africa, Asia, Economics and Finance, Human Rights and Social Justice, International Development

Education

• ScD Harvard University (2012 — 2017)
• MSc Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (2010 — 2011)
• BA Joint Honours McGill University (2005 — 2008)
• High School Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (2001 — 2005)

Journal Articles

2022

• Anukriti, S., C. Herrera-Almanza, M. Karra and R. Valdebenito. “Convincing the Mummy-ji: Improving Mother-in-Law Approval of Family Planning in India.” AEA Papers and Proceedings.

2021

• Karra, M. and K. Zhang. “Exploring User-Centered Counseling and Male Involvement in Contraceptive Decision-Making: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Research Protocols 4): e24884. DOI: 10.2196/24884.

2020

• de Silva, R., S. Huber-Krum, A. Samarasekera, M. Karra, E. Pearson, H. Senanayake, D. Canning, and I. Shah. “Provider perspectives in implementing the Postpartum Intrauterine Device Initiative in Sri Lanka: A qualitative study.” BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health.
• Anukriti, S., C. Herrera-Almanza, P. K. Pathak*, and M. Karra*. “Curse of the Mummy-ji: The Influence of Mothers-in-law on Women’s Social Networks and Autonomy in Rural India.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics. DOI: 10.1111/ajae.12114. Media Coverage: BBC, CNN News18, Live Mint, ThePrint, IndiaSpend, NEU News, Ideas for India.
• Karra, M., D. Canning. “The Effect of Improved Access to Family Planning in Postpartum Women: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Research Protocols 9(8): e16697.
• Karra, M., D. Canning, and R. Sato. “Adding Measurement Error to Location Data to Protect Subject Confidentiality While Allowing for Consistent Estimation of Exposure Effects.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series C (Applied Statistics). 69(5): 1251-1268.
• Karra, M. and E. Sandoe. “A Polling Experiment on Public Opinion on the Future Expansion of Medicare and Medicaid.” Health Services Research. 55(4): 578-586.
• Pearson, E., L. Senderowicz, E. Pradhan, J. Francis, P. Muyangizi, I. Shah, D. Canning, M. Karra, N. Ulenga, T. Baernighausen. “Effect of a Postpartum Family Planning Intervention on Postpartum Interuterine Device Counseling and Choice: Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Trial in Tanzania.” BMC Women’s Health. 20(1): 102.
• Miller, R. and M. Karra. “Birth Spacing and Child Health Trajectories.” Population and Development Review. 46(2): 347-371.

2019

• Karra, M., E. Pearson, E. Pradhan, R. de Silva, A. Samarasekera, D. Canning, I. Shah, D. Weerasekera, H. Senanayake. “The Effect of a Postpartum IUD Intervention on Counselling and Choice: Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial in Sri Lanka.” Trials. 20(1): 407.
• Karra, M., and G. Fink. “Long Run Height and Education Implications of Early Life Growth Faltering: A Synthetic Panel Analysis of 425 Birth Cohorts in 21 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” BMC Public Health. 19(1): 876.
• Goyal, N., M. Karra, and D. Canning. “Early-Life Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Infant Mortality: Pooled Evidence from 43 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” International Journal of Epidemiology. 48(4): 1125-1141.
• Sripad, P., M. Karra, C. Warren, and M. Hindin. “Assessing the role of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence in maternal health-care utilization in 63 low- and middle-income countries.” International Journal of Epidemiology. 48(5): 1580-1592.

2018

• Karra, M., E. Pearson, D. Canning, I. Shah, R. de Silva, and A. Samarasekera. “Ethnolinguistic Concordance and the Receipt of Postpartum IUD (PPIUD) Counseling Services in Sri Lanka.” International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 44(4): 133-145.
• Haber, N., E.R. Smith, K. Andrews, R. Audy, W. Bell, A.T. Brennan, A. Breskin, J. Kane, M. Karra, E. McClure, E. Moscoe, E.A. Suarez. “Causal language and strength of inference in academic and media articles shared in social media (CLAIMS): A systematic review.” PLOS One. 13(5) :e0196346.
• Finlay, J., Y. Efevbera, J. Ndikubagenzi, M. Karra, D. Canning. “Reframing the Measurement of Women’s Work in the Sub-Saharan African Context.” Work, Employment and Society. 33(3): 518-528. .

2017

• Karra, M., D. Canning, S. Foster, I. Shah, H. Senanayake, U.D.P. Ratnasiri. “Location and Content of Counselling and Acceptance of Postpartum IUD in Sri Lanka.” Reproductive Health. 14(1): 42.
• Karra, M., S.V. Subramanian, and G. Fink. “Height among Healthy Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Assessment.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 105(1): 121–126.
• Karra, M., D. Canning, and J. Wilde. “The Effect of Fertility Decline on Economic Growth in Africa: A Macrosimulation Model.” Population and Development Review. 43(S1): 237-263. Top Downloaded Article, Population and Development Review, 2017-2018

2016

• Karra, M., D. Canning, J. Hu, M. Ali, C. Lissner. “Community-Based Financing of Family Planning in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review.” Studies in Family Planning. 47(4): 325–339.
• Canning, D., I. Shah, E. Pearson, E. Pradhan, M. Karra, L. Senderowicz, T. Baernighausen, D. Spiegelman, A. Langer. “Institutionalizing postpartum intrauterine device services in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Nepal: Study protocol for a cluster-randomized stepped wedge trial.” BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 16: 362–373.
• Karra, M., G. Fink, and D. Canning. “Facility Distance and Child Mortality: A Multi-Country Study of Health Facility Access, Service Utilization, and Child Health Outcomes.” International Journal of Epidemiology. 46(3): 817-826.