Leila Bengali

Regional Policy Economist

Applied micro, Regional analysis, Consumer decisionmaking

Leila.Bengali (at) sf.frb.org

CV (pdf, 134.36 kb)

Published Articles (Refereed Journals and Volumes)
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Assessing Evidence for Inattention to the Costs of Homeownership

Journal of Housing Economics 58(part B), 2022

abstract (+)
Many goods and services have accompanying costs that are not salient at the moment of purchase. Existing research suggests that consumers are inattentive to such costs when making small purchases. There is less evidence about attention to costs associated with large purchases. This paper examines residential real estate transactions and studies the extent to which sale prices adjust to ownership costs. The results are inconclusive, neither ruling out full price adjustment nor lack of price adjustment. Despite the inconclusive result, the inability to decisively rule out incomplete price adjustment to predictable ownership costs (which is suggestive of inattention) is noteworthy, given the high financial stakes of buying a home.
The Economic Status of People with Disabilities and their Families since the Great Recession

In The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 695(1), ed. by J. Romich, T. Smeeding, and M.Strain | Russell Sage Foundation , 2021. 123-142 | with Daly, Lofton, and Valletta

abstract (+)
People with disabilities face substantial barriers to sustained employment and stable, adequate income. We assess how they and their families fared during the long economic expansion that followed the Great Recession of 2007-09, using data from the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) and the March CPS annual income supplement. We find that the expansion bolstered the well-being of people with disabilities and in particular their relative labor market engagement. We also find that applications and awards for federal disability benefits fell during the expansion. On balance, our results suggest that sustained economic growth can bolster the labor market engagement of people with disabilities and potentially reduce their reliance on disability benefits.
supplement (+)
wp2021-05_appendix.pdf – Supplemental appendix
Cyclical and Market Determinants of Involuntary Part-Time Employment

Journal of Labor Economics 38(1), January 2020, 67-93 | with Valletta and van der List | No

abstract (+)
The fraction of the U.S. workforce identified as involuntary part-time workers rose to new highs during the U.S. Great Recession and came down only slowly in its aftermath. We assess the determinants of involuntary part-time work using an empirical framework that accounts for business cycle effects and persistent structural features of the labor market. We conduct regression analyses using state-level panel data for the years 2003-16. The results indicate that structural factors, notably shifts in the industry composition of employment, have held the incidence of involuntary part-time work slightly more than 1 percentage point above its prerecession level.
FRBSF Publications
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Comparing Measures of Housing Inflation

Economic Letter 2022-29 | October 17, 2022

The Wage Growth Gap for Recent College Grads

Economic Letter 2014-22 | July 21, 2014 | with Hobijn

Is It Still Worth Going to College?

Economic Letter 2014-13 | May 5, 2014 | with Daly

What’s Behind the Increase in Part-Time Work?

Economic Letter 2013-24 | August 26, 2013 | with Valletta

Will Labor Force Participation Bounce Back?

Economic Letter 2013-14 | May 13, 2013 | with Daly and Valletta

U.S. Economic Mobility: The Dream and the Data

Economic Letter 2013-06 | March 4, 2013 | with Daly