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on Resource Economics |
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Issue of 2024‒07‒15
three papers chosen by |
| By: | Fuhrmann-Riebel, Hanna (University of East Anglia); D'Exelle, Ben (University of East Anglia); López Vargas, Kristian (University of California, Santa Cruz); Tonke, Sebastian (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods); Verschoor, Arjan (University of East Anglia) |
| Abstract: | Tackling environmental pollution requires a permanent change in regular, repeated behavior of households. Bringing about change in such behavior may require interventions that are not limited to a single point in time, yet little evidence exists on how frequently we need to target households to initiate behavioral change and to form new habits in regular pro-environmental behavior. To fill this gap, we investigate the impact of mobile text reminders on households' recycling behavior in urban Peru, by randomly varying the frequency of reminders over a nine-week treatment period. We find that reminders increase both the likelihood that households start to recycle, and the frequency of recycling among households that already recycled before the intervention. The effects are stronger if reminders are repeated over a longer period. Our findings suggest that low-cost mobile text reminders can support repeated pro-environmental behavior, and that some repetition may be needed to maximize their effectiveness. |
| Keywords: | recycling, habit formation, limited attention, reminders, Peru |
| JEL: | C93 D83 D90 D91 Q53 Q58 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17013&r= |
| By: | Tom Schmitz (Queen Mary University of London and CEPR); Italo Colantone (Bocconi University, Baffi-Carefin Research Centre, CESifo and FEEM); Gianmarco Ottaviano (Bocconi University, Baffi-Carefin Research Centre, CEP, CEPR and IGIER) |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the aggregate impact of air pollution regulations introduced by the US Environmental Protection Agency in the early 2000s. We first provide regression evidence on the regulations’ effects across industries and local labor markets. We then use these results to calibrate a quantitative model allowing for general equilibrium spillovers through trade, migration, industry switching, input-output linkages and emission externalities. Our model implies that regulations lowered emissions by 11.1%, but also destroyed between 228’000 and 267’000 jobs. Ignoring general equilibrium spillovers and naively extrapolating from our regressions overestimates job losses in polluting industries, but underestimates job losses in clean industries. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Policy, Fine Particles, Clean Air Act, Employment, Trade |
| JEL: | E24 Q50 Q53 |
| Date: | 2024–06–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:980&r= |
| By: | Avila-Uribe, Antonio (London School of Economics); Roth, Sefi (London School of Economics); Shields, Brian (London School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the impact of London's Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) on test scores among elementary school students in England. Utilising administrative data for the years 2005-2015, we employ a difference-in-differences approach to assess the LEZ's effect on standardised Key Stage 2 results (age 11). Our analysis reveals a statistically and economically significant improvement of 0.09 standard deviations in test scores for students within the LEZ compared to those in other urban control areas. Importantly, we also find that the LEZ policy has larger positive effects in low-performing schools, demonstrating its potential to significantly reduce educational disparities. |
| Keywords: | air pollution, education, low emission zone |
| JEL: | Q53 I20 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17020&r= |