I am a Research Economist at the Centre for Economic Performance of the London School of Economics and a Research Associate at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

I work on topics that contribute to creating a happier and better-functioning society. My expertise lies in applied microeconomics, economics of health and wellbeing, applied econometrics, and machine learning.  

You can find my CV here and contact me at e.oparina@lse.ac.uk
You can find me on Twitter and Google Scholar

Upcoming talks: LSE 20/03

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Join our weekly LSE Wellbeing seminar on Thursdays 4 pm – 5 pm (London time)

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New Working Papers

Feb 2024:

Talking Therapy: Impacts of a Nationwide Mental Health Service in England  (joint with C. Krekel and with S. Srisuma)

Abstract: Common mental health problems impose significant costs on individuals and societies, yet healthcare systems often overlook them. We provide the first causal evidence on the effectiveness of a pioneering, nationwide mental health service for treating depression and anxiety disorders in England using non-experimental data and methods. We exploit variations in waiting times to identify treatment effects, based on a novel dataset of over one million patients that well represent the English population. Our findings show improved mental health and reduced impairment in work and social life. We also provide suggestive evidence of enhanced employment. However, effects vary across patients, services, and areas. The programme is cost-effective and provides a blueprint for treating mental health in other countries.

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March 2024:

Under Pressure: Victim Withdrawal and Police Officer Workload (joint with T. Kirchmaier)

Abstract: This paper addresses the relationship between a police officer's workload and the likelihood of statement withdrawal of domestic abuse victims. We focus our analysis on high-risk cases reported to Greater Manchester Police from January 2014 to March 2019. Using this unique dataset, combined with institutional knowledge, we show that adding 10 more cases to a police officers' monthly workload is associated with an increase of the probability of statement withdrawal of 3 percentage points, or 17% of the average withdrawal rate in our sample. The increased workload is likely to be the outcome of a substantial reduction in the police budget, implying that this paper provides additional indirect evidence of the secondary costs of austerity policies.