Publications

Academic Publications

Journal Articles

2025

• Karra, M. and K. Zhang. “User-Centered Approaches to Contraceptive Counseling: Experimental Evidence from Urban Malawi.” Journal of Development Economics. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103690.
• Karra, M., M. Hernandez, K. Brennan, and M. McConnell. “Supply-Side Innovations to Increase Equitable Access to Digital Financial Services: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique.” Journal of Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2025.2555199.
• Vincent, S., S. Anukriti, C. Herrera Almanza, and M. Karra. “Contraceptive Concordance.” Studies in Family Planning Special Issue on Rethinking Family Planning Measurement. https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.70018.
• Boydell, V., F. Obare, and M. Karra. “Navigating Change in the Family Planning and Reproductive Health Landscape.” Editor Commentary, Studies in Family Planning. 56 (1): 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.70002.
• Karra, M. and S. RamaRao. “Big Data and AI in Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Comment.” Studies in Family Planning ICPD 30th Anniversary Special Issue. 56 (2): 317–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.70005.

2024

• Karra, M. “‘Supply-Side Versus Demand-Side Unmet Need: Implications for Family Planning Programs’: A Comment.” Population and Development Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12701.
• Karra, M. and J. Wilde. “Economic Foundations of Contraceptive Transitions: Theories and a Review of the Evidence.” IZA Discussion Paper No. 15889. Population and Development Review Special Issue on Contraceptive Transition Theories. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12690.
• Liddie, J.M., M.A. Bind, M. Karra, and E.M. Sunderland. “County-level associations between drinking water PFAS contamination and COVID-19 mortality in the United States.” Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00723-5.
• Maggio, D., M. Karra, and D. Canning. “Family Planning and Children’s Human Capital: Experimental Evidence from Urban Malawi.” Demography. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-11581796.
• Canning, D.* and M. Karra*. “Unwanted Family Planning including Unwanted Sterilization: Prevalence Estimates for India.” Studies in Family Planning. https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12274.
• Meng, S., N. Halim, M. Karra, and P. Mozumder. “Understanding Household Evacuation Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Puerto Rico.” SSRN working paper DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4011468. Safety Science 171: 106405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106405.
• Karra, M.* and D. Canning*. “Adjusting Injectable Contraceptive Use for Months Since the Last Injection.” Studies in Family Planning 55 (1): 71-77. DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12256.

2023

• Canning, D. and M. Karra. “Unwanted Family Planning: Prevalence Estimates for 56 Countries.” Studies in Family Planning, Special Issue on Measurement and Indicators in Family Planning and Reproductive Health. DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12230.
• Cheng, Z., M. Karra, M. Guo, V. Patel, and D. Canning. “Exploring the Relationship Between Anemia and Postpartum Depression: Evidence from Malawi.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20(4): 3178. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043178.

2022

• Karra, M., D. Maggio, M. Guo, B. Ngwira, and  D. Canning. “The Causal Effect a Family Planning Intervention on Women’s Contraceptive Use and Birth Spacing.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (22): e2200279119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2200279119. Replication Files.
• Karra, M. “Measurement of Unmet Need for Contraception: A Counterfactual Approach.” Studies in Family Planning 53 (4): 657-680. DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12216.
• 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 112 (May): 568–72. https://doi.org/10.1257/pandp.20221122.

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 10(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. DOI:10.1136/bmjsrh-2020-200876.
• Anukriti, S.*, C. Herrera Almanza*, P. K. Pathak*, and M. Karra*. “Curse of the Mummy-ji: The Influence of Mothers-in-law on Women in India.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 102(5): 1328-1351. 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. DOI: 10.2196/16697.
• 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. DOI:10.1111/rssc.12439.2020. Replication Files.
• 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. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13295.
• 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. DOI:10.1186/s12905-020-00956-0.
• Miller, R. and M. Karra. “Birth Spacing and Child Health Trajectories.” Population and Development Review. 46(2): 347-371. DOI: 10.1111/padr.12335.

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. DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-3473-6.
• 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. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7203-5.
• 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. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyz090.
• 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. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy299/5309028.

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. DOI: 10.1363/44e6918.
• 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. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196346.
• 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. DOI: 10.1177/0950017018774245.

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. DOI: 10.1186/s12978-017-0304-7.
• 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. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.116.136705.
• 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. DOI: 10.1111/padr.12009. 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. DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12000.
• 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. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-1160-0.
• 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. DOI:10.1093/ije/dyw062.* Denotes joint first authorship / equal authorship.

Book Chapters

2024

• Gausman J, K. Barker, M. Karra, A. Langer. “Sexual and Reproductive Health.” In: The Handbook of Health Behavior Change. 6th ed. Springer Publishing Company.

2015

• “Economic Effects of the Demographic Dividend.” (with D. Canning, J. Wilde, D. L. Newhouse, P. Eloundou-Enyegue, Y. Cho, B. Tien, D. Robalino, and C. Wolff), in Africa’s Demographic Transition: Dividend or Disaster? Eds. Canning, D., S. Raja, and A. S. Yazbeck, Africa Development Forum Series. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-0489-2.

Working Papers

2025

• Abdel Ghany, J., A. A. Nur, K. L. D. MacQuarrie, J. K. Wilde, E. A. Sully, M. Karra, U. Gazeley, B. M. John, and L. Montana. “Moving towards equitable data infrastructure and research integrity after the termination of the DHS Program.” Submitted, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• Karra, M. “Revisiting Supply-Side Versus Demand-Side Unmet Need: A Global Analysis.” Appendix.
• Anukriti, S.*, C. Herrera Almanza*, S. Hossain**, and M. Karra*. “Son Preference, Women’s Mental Health, and Well-Being in India.” Submitted, Journal of Development Economics.
• Cunningham, W., S. Gupta, M. Del Bono, M. Karra, and J. Wilde. “Liberian Women Count: Evidence from a Macrosimulation of the Gender Dividend.” World Bank Policy Research Paper 10425. In preparation for submission.

2024

• Anukriti, S., C. Herrera Almanza, and M. Karra. “Bring a Friend: Leveraging Financial and Peer Support to Improve Women’s Reproductive Agency in India.” World Bank Policy Research Paper 10107. IZA Discussion Paper No. 15381. Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Development Economics.
• Canning, D. and M. Karra. “Hormonal Contraception and Anemia in Women: Longitudinal Evidence from Urban Malawi.” Revise and Resubmit, BMC Reproductive Health.
• Karra, M., D. Maggio, and D. Canning. “Family Planning and Women’s Labor Supply: Experimental Evidence from Malawi.” Working Paper. Submitted, Journal of Labor Economics.
• Cardona, C., K. Zhang, P. Anglewicz, and M. Karra. “Attribute-Method Contraceptive Concordance: Cross-Sectional and Panel Evidence from Urban Malawi.” In progress.
• Cardona, C., E. Gummerson, M. Karra, and P. Anglewicz. “Does Contraceptive Use Facilitate Women’s Economic Empowerment? Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.” In progress.

2023

• Wilde, J. and M. Karra. “Twenty-Five Years of the Demographic Dividend: A Critical Reflection and Beyond.” In preparation for the Population and Development Review 50th Anniversary Special Issue.
• Wilde, J. and M. Karra. “Savings and the Demographic Dividend.”
• Karra, M. and S. Mako. “Exploring the Effect of the Iraq War on Women’s Health Care Seeking Behavior and Well-Being.” In preparation for submission to Social Science and Medicine.

2022

• Liu, Y., L. Were. and M. Karra. “A Comparison of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in the Management of Chronic Conditions in China.” In preparation.
• Radin, M., M. Karra, S. Mapila, N. Madise, and B. Wong. “A cost-benefit analysis of a post-partum family planning intervention in Malawi.” In preparation.

2020

• Canning, D., M. Karra, R. Dayalu, M. Guo, and D.E. Bloom. “The association between age, COVID-19 symptoms, and social distancing behavior in the United States.” MedRxiv working paper, revise and resubmit at PLOS One.

Policy Publications, Op-Eds, Reviews

Policy Briefs and Technical Reports

2024

• Herrera Almanza, C., M. Karra, and A. Paola Paredes. Community-Based Family Planning Distribution through PLAFAM in Venezuela: A Scoping Assessment. Maxmind Technical Report.

2023

• Arbuzova, A.**, T. Getahun, A. A. Malik, and M. Karra. Gendered Differences in Mobility and the Demand for Transport in Ethiopia. International Growth Centre (IGC) Policy Brief.
• Arbuzova, A.**, T. Getahun, A. A. Malik, and M. Karra. Understanding Travel Demand for Women and Men in Urban Ethiopia. International Growth Centre (IGC) Blog Post.
• Karra, M. Around the Halls: Maternal and Child Health: Developments and Setbacks in 2022. BU Human Capital Initiative Blog Post.

2022

• Maggio, D. M. Karra, and D. Canning. Access to Family Planning Services Improves Child Growth Patterns and Cognitive Development Findings from the Malawi Family Planning Study (MFPS). BU Global Development Center Policy Brief. March 2022.
• Karra, M., L. Aquino**, A. Arbuzova**, and Y. Kurt**. Around the Halls: Human Capital Initiative Summer 2022 Fieldwork. BU Human Capital Initiative Blog Post.
• Karra, M. Around the Halls: The State of Human Capital Development After Two Years of COVID-19, Maternal and Child Health. BU Human Capital Initiative Blog Post.

2021

• Karra, M., D. Canning, D. Maggio, M. Guo, and B. Ngwira. Increased Access to Postpartum Family Planning Services Encourages Modern Contraceptive Use and Healthy Birth Spacing: Findings from the Malawi Family Planning Study (MFPS). BU Global Development Center Policy Brief. October 2021. Chichewa Version
• Karra, M. and K. Zhang. Understanding Women’s Preferences For and Use of Family Planning in Urban Malawi. BU Global Development Center Policy Brief. October 2021. Chichewa Version
• Karra, M.  “Devising Ways to Measure Unmet Need in Family Planning: A Thought Experiment.” BU Global Development Policy Center. Blog Post. 2 August 2021.
• Karra, M. “Prioritising maternal and child health in the COVID-19 era.” Open Access Government. Blog Post. 14 April 2021.
• Radin, M. and M. Karra. A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Postpartum Family Planning Counseling in Malawi. Copenhagen Consensus Center Policy Brief (In preparation).

2019

• Kohler, H. P. and M. Karra. The Benefits and Costs of Scaling up Family Planning in Africa. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Consensus Center Policy Brief. Media Coverage: The Economist (November 2019)

2013

• Belohlav, K. and M. Karra. Household Decisionmaking and Contraceptive Use in Zambia. Washington, DC: PopPov Network Policy Brief, Population Reference Bureau.

2012

• Karra, M. and M. Lee. The Economics of Reproductive Health in Accra, Ghana. Washington, DC: PopPov Network Policy Brief, Population Reference Bureau.
• Karra, M. and J. Gribble. Costs of Induced Abortion and Cost-Effectiveness of Universal Access to Modern Contraceptives in Uganda. Washington, DC: PopPov Network Policy Brief, Population Reference Bureau.
• Karra, M. and M. Lee. The Effects of an Economic Crisis on Contraceptive Use. Washington, DC: PopPov Network Policy Brief, Population Reference Bureau.
• Karra, M. and M. Lee. Human Capital Consequences of Teenage Childbearing in South Africa. Washington, DC: PopPov Network Policy Brief, Population Reference Bureau.

2010

• Foreit, K., M. Karra, and T. Pandit-Rajani. Disentangling the Effects of Poverty and Place of Residence for Strategic Planning. Washington, DC: Futures Group, Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1.
• Karra, M., S. Sharma, and M. Vargas. Fostering Public-Private Partnerships to Reduce Health Inequities in Peru. Washington, DC: Futures Group, Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1.

2009

• Sharma, S. and M. Karra. Effective Policy Approaches to Address Inequities in Health: Examples from Jordan and Egypt. IUSSP Health Equity Conference Paper, November 2–4.

 

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