|
on Resource Economics |
| By: | Gazze, Ludovica (University of Warwick); Gupta, Tanu; Huang, Allen (Weiyi); Londoño, Valentina; Saavedra, Santiago; Toma, Mattie (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | There is limited evidence on the non-health impacts of air pollution, including productivity in the workplace and behavior. We examine the effect of air pollution on participation, collaboration, and feedback provision in a workplace setting. Our experiment randomly assigns air purifiers to rooms at three large academic conferences to investigate the causal impact of air pollution on participants’ engagement behavior. We construct a participant engagement index based on 12 presentation-level behavioral outcomes directly measured by conference observers through an online form and weigh each behavioral outcome using weights elicited from an expert survey. Conference rooms treated with air purifiers exhibit 48% less PM2.5 concentration compared to control rooms. However, we do not find a statistically significant change in engagement. Communication in the workplace might not be a large driver of the empirical relationship between air quality and productivity, albeit more research is needed across workplaces and measures of communication. |
| Keywords: | Indoor air quality ; Engagement ; Workplace ; Field Experiment JEL Codes: Q53 ; J24 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wrk:warwec:1579 |
| By: | Antonio Abatemarco (Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno and CELPE); Roberto Dell’Anno (Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno and CELPE); Elena Lagomarsino (Department of Economics, University of Genova) |
| Abstract: | The implementation of environmental policies varies substantially across geographical areas. This paper proposes a conceptual and methodological framework—adapted from the health economics literature— to assess equity in the allocation of environmental policy effort. We define “environmental care” as the set of local policy interventions aimed at improving environmental quality within an area, and evaluate its distribution relative to environmental need. Using direct and indirect standardization techniques, we measure horizontal inequity (unequal care among areas with similar need) and vertical inequity (differential care in response to differing needs). Applying this framework to traffic-related air pollution policies in Italian municipalities from 2012 to 2021, we find that the observed reduction of overall inequality in environmental care is mostly driven by a decline in horizontal inequity. However, we find evidence of persistent socioeconomic disparities, with lower-income municipalities receiving disproportionately less policy effort relative to their environmental needs. |
| Keywords: | environmental equity, environmental inequality, air pollution, distributive justice |
| JEL: | Q53 Q58 R58 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2025.14 |
| By: | Alessandra Drigo (University of Milan, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei) |
| Abstract: | This study offers the first analysis of environmental and climate inequalities at the census tract level in Italy, providing valuable insights into spatial patterns of environmental and social vulnerability. The results highlight significant environmental inequality related to exposure to air pollution (PM2.5), as well as climate inequality linked to thermal discomfort (measured by the Discomfort Index). Among all regions, the Padana Valley stands out as the most severely affected by both stressors, marking its population as particularly vulnerable regardless of their socioeconomic status. At the national level, the analysis identifies a negative correlation between exposure to environmental stressors and income proxies, and a positive correlation with the presence of non-European foreign residents. These associations remain robust even when the focus shifts to census tracts within the same municipality, suggesting that environmental and social inequalities persist not only across regions but also within local urban contexts. |
| Keywords: | Environmental inequality, Environmental justice, Air pollution, Socioeconomic status, Climate Justice, Discomfort Index |
| JEL: | Q53 Q56 I14 C21 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2025.12 |