
VoxDev Development Economics S6 Ep47: Intimate partner violence: Causes, costs and prevention
28 snips
Nov 26, 2025 Manisha Shah, an economist and professor at UC Berkeley specializing in intimate partner violence (IPV), discusses the complexities of measuring and preventing IPV. She reveals that about one in three women experience IPV globally, with heightened prevalence in certain regions. Shah highlights the economic costs of IPV, estimated at 1-2% of GDP, and analyzes how poverty and social norms contribute to its persistence. She also emphasizes the importance of engaging men in prevention strategies and the need for cost-effective interventions like counseling.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Education Effects Are Understudied
- There is little causal evidence on how education affects IPV despite expectations of protective effects.
- A spousal education gap (woman more educated) can sometimes increase IPV.
Norms Strongly Predict IPV Prevalence
- Social norms accepting wife-beating strongly correlate with higher IPV prevalence across countries.
- Men and women within countries report similar acceptance levels, reinforcing norms' pervasiveness.
Backlash From Shifts In Household Power
- Backlash occurs when male partners use violence to reassert control after shifts in household power due to female empowerment.
- Backlash appears driven more by symbolic threats to male status than by pure economic loss.
