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on Urban and Real Estate Economics |
| By: | William Larson; Andrew Martinez |
| Abstract: | This blog discusses the all-important residential real estate market and examines how mortgage rates affect house prices differently across U.S. cities. |
| Date: | 2025–06–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ofr:ofrblg:25-06 |
| By: | Janine Boshoff; Stephen Machin; Matteo Sandi |
| Abstract: | This paper combines ten years of idiosyncratic variation in school closure dates for all secondary schools in England with administrative records of educational and criminal trajectories linked at the individual level to study the impact of the school schedule on the dynamics of youth crime. When school is not in session, students commit more property offences, more serious violent offences and fewer minor violent offences. Thefts, robberies and violent assaults drive these effects. This is novel evidence of strong incapacitation effects from the protective factor of schooling which affects not only the incidence of violence, but also its severity. |
| Keywords: | crime, school attendance, exclusion |
| Date: | 2025–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2092 |
| By: | Pauline Carry; Benny Kleinman; Elio Nimier-David |
| Abstract: | Why are wages in cities like New York or Paris higher than in others? This paper uses firm mobility to separate the role of “location effects” (e.g., local geography, infrastructure, and agglomeration) from the spatial sorting of workers and firms. Using French administrative records and U.S. commercial data, we first document that firm mobility is widespread: 4% of establishments relocate annually. Establishments retain their main activity and structure as they move, but adjust their workforce and wages. Combining firm and worker mobility, we then decompose wage disparities across French commuting zones. We find that spatial wage differences are largely driven by the sorting and co-location of workers and firms: location effects account for only 2–5% of disparities, while differences in the composition of workers and establishments account for around 30% and 15%, respectively. The remaining half is accounted for by the co-location of high-wage workers and firms, especially in cities with high location effects. Revisiting the elasticity of local wages to population density, we find a significant coefficient of 0.007 - two to three times lower than estimates not controlling for firm composition. |
| JEL: | F0 J0 R0 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33779 |
| By: | Georgy Malginov (Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy) |
| Abstract: | 2024 marked the end of the active growth for the Russian real estate market and the transition to the phase of expected slowdown. The well-established mechanism of state support for mortgages, which stimulated demand, was subjected to a double squeeze: the government’s radical modification of preferential programs and the Bank of Russia’s continued increase in the key rate. However, the retention of the general favorable background in the economy (GDP growth of 4.1% and real disposable income of the population of 7.3%) led to the fact that the downward trend manifested itself rather moderately. |
| Keywords: | Russian economy, residential property prices, housing market, housing construction |
| JEL: | H82 K11 L32 L33 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gai:ppaper:ppaper-2025-1416 |
| By: | Tomasiello, Diego Bogado; Nadalin, Vanessa Gapriotti; Pereira, Rafael H. M. |
| Abstract: | Urban congestion is a persistent problem in large cities worldwide. However, congestion is typically assessed from a mobility perspective using traffic performance measures, with limited attention to its impact on urban accessibility. Here, we propose reframing congestion, not merely as problem of slower speeds and longer travel times, but as lost access to opportunities due to excess time in traffic. To illustrate this, we estimate the impact of congestion on employment accessibility in Brazil’s 20 largest cities, analyzing how these effects vary spatially and by income level. Using historical GPS-based traffic speed data, we compare the number of jobs reachable by car within a 15-45-minute window during morning peak versus free-flow conditions. In the most congested cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the number of accessible jobs drops by an average of 36%–46.4% due to traffic congestion. In contrast, the least congested cities see reductions of only 2.1%–3.2%. Across all cities, low-income communities face the most severe impacts, with an average 24.8% reduction in accessibility, compared to just 5.6% among high-income groups. These findings are used to discuss broader research and policy implications of reframing congestion as lost access. From an equity standpoint, this paradigm shift enables a more comprehensive understanding of how the adverse effects of congestion are distributed across social groups – an insight not captured by traditional traffic metrics. This approach also reveals the spatially and socially uneven impacts of congestion, opening avenues for future research on how it may exacerbate accessibility poverty and inequality. |
| Date: | 2025–05–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:fjdbs_v1 |
| By: | Hector Blanco; Jaehee Song |
| Abstract: | The Housing Choice Voucher program provides substantial rental subsidies to low-income households, yet many recipients struggle to secure housing with their vouchers, particularly in low-poverty areas. This paper examines a key bottleneck in the program: landlord discrimination against voucher holders. Using a nationwide dataset from a major online rental platform, we identify listings that explicitly seek or reject voucher holders. We find significant variation across metropolitan areas, with voucher-seeking listings ranging from nearly zero to 18 percent and voucher-rejecting listings ranging from nearly zero to 28 percent. Within metros, landlords in high-poverty neighborhoods with larger Black and voucher populations are more likely to seek voucher holders, while rejection of voucher holders is relatively more common in low-poverty neighborhoods. Using a difference-in-differences design, we provide causal evidence that statewide prohibitions on source-of-income discrimination significantly reduce voucher-rejecting listings, especially in low-poverty neighborhoods, effectively eliminating cross-neighborhood differences in discriminatory behavior. |
| Keywords: | housing vouchers, discrimination, rental listings |
| JEL: | R31 R38 I38 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11920 |
| By: | Germà Bel (Department of Econometrics, Statistics and Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Lluís Colomés-Barbarà (Aiball Lovelace, Spain.); Ferran A. Mazaira-Font (Department of Econometrics, Statistics and Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | Unease with tourism has spread to many areas with large populations, and local governments are implementing or discussing measures to reduce tourist intensity. The metropolitan-based narrative about the negative externalities of tourism has often been projected onto all types of destinations. Our research empirically analyzes whether the effects on community well-being are as homogeneous as anti-tourism narratives assume, in a heterogeneous and mature tourism market. We find that in both larger and smaller municipalities, tourism increases inequality, although to a limited extent. However, the effects on per capita income and on housing rental prices differ greatly. Government should avoid a "one-size-fits-all" approach when considering tourism policies. |
| Keywords: | Tourism; income; inequality; housing; special effects. JEL classification: |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202506 |
| By: | Bryce Morsky |
| Abstract: | Many outputs of cities scale in universal ways, including infrastructure, crime, and economic activity. Through a mathematical model, this study investigates the interplay between such scaling laws in human organization and governmental allocations of resources, focusing on impacts to migration patterns and social welfare. We find that if superlinear scaling resources of cities -- such as economic and social activity -- are the primary drivers of city dwellers' utility, then cities tend to converge to similar sizes and social welfare through migration. In contrast, if sublinear scaling resources, such as infrastructure, primarily impact utility, then migration tends to lead to megacities and inequity between large and small cities. These findings have implications for policymakers, economists, and political scientists addressing the challenges of equitable and efficient resource allocation. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2506.03384 |
| By: | Rosa Cheesman; Nicolai T. Borgen; Astrid M. J. Sandsør; Paul Hufe; Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we investigate whether better schools can compensate for the effects of children’s genetic differences. To this end, we combine data from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) with Norwegian register data to estimate the interaction between genetic endowments and school quality. We use MoBa’s genetic data to compute polygenic indices for educational attainment (PGIEA). Importantly, MoBa includes information on the genetic endowments of father-mother-child trios, allowing us to identify causal genetic effects using within-family variation. We calculate school value-added measures from Norwegian register data, allowing us to causally estimate school quality effects. Leveraging the advantages of both data sources, we provide the first causally identified study of gene-environment interactions in the school context. We find evidence for substitutability of PGIEA and school quality in reading but not numeracy: a 1 SD increase of school quality decreases the impact of the PGIEA on reading test scores by 6%. The substitutability arises through gains of students at the lower end of the PGIEA distribution. This shows that investments in school quality may help students to overcome their draw in the genetic lottery. |
| Keywords: | education, gene-environment interaction, polygenic index, school value-added |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11883 |
| By: | Langen, Henrika (BIBB); Laine, Liisa (University of Missouri) |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of a teacher strike on students still in compulsory school and about to choose their secondary education track. Using administrative data and a difference-in-differences approach, we estimate the effect of a regional strike in Finland on educational attainment and long-term labor market outcomes. On average, we find no statistically significant effect on attainment across exposed students. However, students from high-income households were more likely to pursue general education rather than vocational degrees, while those from low-income households shifted away from general education. Despite these differences, both groups experienced modest gains in income and employment later in life. |
| Keywords: | teacher strike, administrative data, effect heterogeneity, difference-in-differences, doubly robust estimation |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J24 C23 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17937 |
| By: | Carolina Castaldi; Nicola Cortinovis; Milene S. Tessarin |
| Abstract: | Economic geography has offered several insights to understand the role of geography in shaping creativity, innovation and the way they are connected in space. Unfortunately, most attention has been devoted to analyzing cities and urban regions as the ideal context where creativity and innovation come together. Emerging counter-narratives are challenging this urban perspective and proposing that creativity-led innovation can also thrive in rural, often more peripheral, places. Theoretically, different arguments have been proposed, yet a clear conceptualization is lacking. We propose to link these arguments to two complementary ways in which creativity-led innovation might be at play, either as innovation in creative industries or as creative workers contributing to innovation across industries. Methodologically, most evidence comes from intriguing case studies and country-specific surveys, yet comparative quantitative evidence is missing or misleading. In this study, we propose to use trademarks as an alternative indicator to patents, better fitting creativity-led innovation. We illustrate the opportunities from our conceptualization and measurement with a comparative study of European regions. Using a database combining large scale occupational data with patent and trademark activity for the period 2011-2019, we analyze the relationship between creative occupations and innovation activity in rural regions. Our findings suggest that creativity-led innovation processes operate in rural regions but can only be uncovered when using trademarks as innovation indicators. These findings bear key policy implications, as they inform efforts towards formulating and monitoring the role of creativity and innovation for rural contexts. |
| Keywords: | creativity, innovation, regions, rural, urban, creative occupations, patents, trademarks |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2517 |
| By: | De Martini, Santiago; Gonzalez, Juan B.; Perez-Vincent, Santiago M. |
| Abstract: | Public urban transportation systems are essential for mitigating climate change, leading policymakers to intensify efforts to boost ridership. However, there is not much evidence showing up to what extent, in regions with high crime rates like Latin America, safety perception could limit these efforts. This paper studies the impact of crime and crime perception on public transport demand across six Latin American capitals. Using a sample of 5, 160 participants, we conduct three preregistered experiments to quantify the impact of crime on public transport choices and policy preferences. In the first experiment, we estimate the willingness to pay for safety by offering participants a choice between buses with varying crime rates and fares. We find that users place a substantial premium (51% of the current bus ticket) on safer transport options. The second experiment explores the substitution effect between private and public transport, revealing that higher crime rates diminish the likelihood of choosing public transport, even when offered at a reduced fare. The third experiment examines how crime perception influences public support for different transport policies. Our results show that a higher crime perception shifts support toward crime reduction initiatives at the expense of service efficiency and environmental policies. These results highlight the need for policies that integrate safety improvements to increase public transport ridership and contribute to climate change mitigation. |
| Keywords: | Public Transportation;Crime;environmental policy effectiveness;Experiments |
| JEL: | R41 R48 C91 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14139 |
| By: | J. Vernon Henderson; Francisco Libano-Monteiro; Martina Manara; Guy Michaels; Tanner Regan |
| Abstract: | Urban planning has shaped cities for millennia, demarcating property rights and mitigating coordination failures, but its rigidities often conflict with market-driven development, which reflects preferences. Although planning is widespread in high-income countries, rapidly growing cities in the developing world are characterized by urban informality. Despite its importance, urban planning lacks an economic framework to evaluate planners' choices. This paper offers a starting framework and applies it to a flagship project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which partitioned greenfield land on the urban fringe into more than 36, 000 formal plots that people purchased and built homes on. To study this project, we assemble a novel dataset using administrative records, satellite imagery, and primary surveys. We develop and estimate a dynamic model in which planning design constrains the decisions of households of varying incomes to sort into formal areas. This model complements our reduced-form analysis, which uses within-neighborhood variation and spatial RD to study planning choices' effects. We find that the project secured property rights and access, raised land values relative to unplanned areas, and attracted highly educated owners. Within project areas, access to main paved roads, gridded layouts, and natural amenities are valued; plot development and public service provision have been slow; and the price elasticity of bare land with respect to plot size is -0.5. Counterfactual analysis using the model shows that while land value maximization involves the provision of larger plots, welfare maximization entails the provision of smaller plots to serve more lower-income people. |
| Keywords: | urban planning, economic development, Africa |
| Date: | 2025–05–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2101 |
| By: | William Larson; Andrew Martinez |
| Abstract: | The effects of mortgage rate changes on house prices depend on mortgage underwriting rules and the share of borrowers with extreme debt burdens (Working Paper no. 25-02). |
| Keywords: | Asset Pricing, Household Finance, House Price Bubbles |
| Date: | 2025–06–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ofr:wpaper:25-02 |
| By: | Conti, Laura (Bank of Italy); Francesconi, Marco (University of Essex); Papini, Giulio (Bank of Italy); Serafinelli, Michel (King's College London) |
| Abstract: | This paper documents how the local labor market (LLM) responds to a change in touristic attractiveness. Leveraging largely underutilized data from several sources, we exploit a unique classification of Italian localities based on their main touristic assets and aggregate trends in foreign tourists' choices in a shift-share research design. Looking at all LLMs, we find a strong positive relationship between changes in attractiveness and changes in the local tourism-related economic activity, with a positive impact on tourism expenditure and tourism employment, but no effect on total employment. In high-unemployment LLMs, however, we find evidence of sizable total employment effects and large indirect effects generated through industries related to tourism and firms in the nontradable sector. We observe no effects on wage growth. We discuss our results in the context of the current policy debate on the role of tourism in the development of the local economy. |
| Keywords: | tourism, job growth, unemployment, local spillovers, heterogeneity |
| JEL: | J21 R11 R12 R23 Z30 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17933 |
| By: | Lisa Barrow; Mitchell Isler; Guhan Venkatu |
| Abstract: | How much would a potential decline in commercial property values affect funding for Ohio’s public schools? This District Data Brief takes a closer look. |
| Date: | 2025–06–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:c00003:100042 |
| By: | Abrigo, Michael R.M.; Lingatong, Edmar E.; Relos, Charlotte Marjorie L.; Perez, Tania Dew S.; Quejada, Noel Angelo M.; Daga, Erwin Doroteo Justien C.; Estopace, Katha Ma-i; Paquibot, Jesusa L.; Gavan, Dianne Stephanie A. |
| Abstract: | This study estimates future demand for public school classrooms using new projections of the school-age children population for 82 provinces and 33 urbanized cities in the Philippines up to 2060. A return to replacement-level fertility from the current total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.9 is expected to ease demand for public school classrooms, except in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where the population of school-age children is projected to continue increasing. A below-replacement TFR will likely lead to a greater reduction in classroom congestion in public schools. However, significant school infrastructure backlogs and the aging of existing school buildings are expected to remain important issues in the future, despite potential benefits from low fertility. The study also highlights potential contributing factors to current classroom congestion. Comments on this paper are welcome within 60 days from the date of posting. Email publications@pids.gov.ph. |
| Keywords: | school infrastructure;low fertility;population projection |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:dpaper:dp_2025-10 |
| By: | Pierre Donat-Bouillud (Czech Technical University in Prague, Northeasterm University); Coralie Hirschi (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS, IRD, Centre d'Econonomie de la Sorbonne); Etienne Le Rossignol (Université de Namur) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the educational legacies of Christian missions established before independence, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, focusing on contemporary disparities in educational content, quality, access, and outcomes. Using georeferenced data from over 20, 000 schools and two million students participating in the Examen National d'Etat (Exetat) between 2016 and 2019, as well as primary data from a phone survey of 624 school directors, we explore how proximity to Catholic and Protestant missions during the colonial period influences educational opportunities today. We find that schools near historical Christian missions offer a broader and higher-quality curriculum, with increased access to study tracks outside the basic Pedagogy section. Students attending these schools are more likely to pass the Exetat and achieve grades qualifying for university admission, although the magnitude of the effect is modest. Supply-side factors, such as better infrastructure and more conducive school environments, explain half of the missionary proximity premium, while demand-side mechanisms, including students' sorting and selection account for additional variation. Our findings reveal that the strong partnership between missions and the colonial state entrenched spatial inequalities in educational access and quality, inequalities that persist to this day |
| Keywords: | Christian Missions; Education; Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| JEL: | Z1 Z10 N9 O1 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mse:cesdoc:25013 |
| By: | Gellerstam, Julia (Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, Royal Institute of Technology); Palmquist, Lisa (Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, Royal Institute of Technology); Hermansson, Cecilia (Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, Royal Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates whether energy use and recommended efficiency measures are capitalized into office building transaction prices in Sweden, amid the European real estate sector’s transition following the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Using eight years of transaction data and a hedonic pricing model, the analysis quantifies the relationship between energy-related characteristics and market value. Complementary interviews with energy consultants provide insights into how energy measures are interpreted and applied in practice. Results show that while energy efficiency is increasingly considered in investments, its influence on prices is limited and varies across segments. Unexpectedly, higher energy use correlates with higher prices in some cases. A 1% increase in energy use corresponds to a 0.22% price increase per square meter, especially in older buildings and peripheral areas. This suggests energy inefficiency may be offset by other value drivers, such as location, historical character and redevelopment potential. The market response to EPC-recommended measures is more nuanced. Construction-related upgrades can command premiums in older buildings due to their future value potential. Conversely, installation measures are often viewed as costly liabilities, leading to price discounts. These findings reveal a distinction between flexible investment opportunities and immediate capital expenditures. By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the study offers a comprehensive assessment of energy efficiency’s economic and operational dimensions. It contributes to the literature on green value premiums and provides actionable insights for stakeholders. At the same time, it highlights the specific dynamics of a low-energy-price context like Sweden. This adds important geographical nuance to a field often dominated by evidence from higher-cost markets. |
| Keywords: | Energy use; energy efficiency; commercial real estate; transaction price; energy efficiency measures; EPBD |
| JEL: | D25 D81 Q40 Q51 R32 |
| Date: | 2025–06–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:kthrec:2025_004 |
| By: | Patrinos, Harry Anthony (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville); Psacharopoulos, George (Georgetown University) |
| Abstract: | The evidence underscores the need to shift attention from school attainment to actual learning. While the average global return to an additional year of schooling is about 10 percent, a one standard deviation increase in test scores raises earnings by 15 percent. Studies show that including direct measures of skills reduces the estimated return to schooling, revealing the stronger role of quality. These findings suggest that education policy should prioritize learning outcomes, not just years in school, to more accurately reflect the economic value of education. |
| Keywords: | cognitive skills, returns to education, earnings |
| JEL: | I21 I26 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17939 |
| By: | Cristina Lopez-Mayan (Serra Húnter Fellow & AQR-IREA Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.); Giulia Montresor (University of Verona.); Catia Nicodemo (Brunel University of London & University of Oxford) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the impact of the school entry age policy on adolescent risk–taking behaviors. The policy mandates that children begin primary education in the year they turn six, creating relative age differences within cohorts due to a January 1st cutoff date. Using data from the Spanish School Survey on Drug Use, we analyze a comprehensive set of risky behaviors, including substance use, gambling, gaming, internet use, and sexual activity among students in the early adolescence in compulsory education. Employing an empirical strategy that compares students born in December (young–for–grade) and January (old–for–grade) while controlling for potential confounders, we find that young–for–grade students are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Findings are consistent across various robustness checks. Further analysis suggests that both absolute age differences and educational cycle effects contribute to these findings. Gender–specific patterns reveal distinct effects for boys and girls, while school type shows limited variation. Notably, most behavioral differences diminish by late adolescence in high school. This research broadens our understanding of the non–academic impacts of school entry age policies contributing to the literature on education policy and adolescent development. |
| Keywords: | risky health behaviors, school entry age, young–for–grade and old–for–grade students, education policy JEL classification: I12, I21, J13. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202421 |
| By: | Yong Suk Lee |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the racial implications of police interaction with algorithms, particularly in the context of racial disparities in rearrest predictions. Our experimental study involved showing police officers the profiles of young offenders and asking them to predict rearrest probabilities within three years, first without and then after seeing the algorithm’s assessment. The experiment varied the visibility of the offender’s race (revealed to one group, hidden in another group, and mixed (some shown and some hidden) in the other group). Additionally, we explored how informing officers about the model’s accuracy affected their responses. Our findings indicate that officers adjust their predictions towards the algorithm’s assessment when the race of the profile is disclosed. However, these adjustments exhibit significant racial disparities, with a significant gap in initial rearrest predictions between Black and White offenders even when all observable characteristics are controlled for. Furthermore, only Black officers significantly reduced their predictions after viewing the the algorithm’s assessments, while White officers did not. Our findings reveal the limited and nuanced effectiveness of algorithms in reducing bias in recidivism predictions, underscoring the complexities of algorithm-assisted human judgment in criminal justice. |
| Keywords: | human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, algorithmic prediction, racial bias, criminal justice |
| JEL: | C10 D63 K40 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11877 |
| By: | Lorena M. D’Agostino (University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.); Rosina Moreno (AQR-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Damián Tojeiro-Rivero (ESADE-University Ramon Llull, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | Taking the long-established evidence on knowledge spillovers that states that part of the new created knowledge spills over to other firms mostly located in the physical proximity, we aim at providing evidence on the role of green knowledge spillovers on firms’ innovation. We posit that in addition to internal factors, firm innovation is determined by external regional factors, among which we specifically focus on the spillovers generated by environmental EU-funded research at the regional level. The results indicate that the presence of partners engaged in EU-environmental projects in a region has a positive and significant effect on process innovation. |
| Keywords: | innovation; environment; EU-funded research; Framework Programme; region; firm. JEL classification: R11, O31, O44. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202423 |
| By: | Fazio, Andrea; Giaccherini, Matilde |
| Abstract: | Building on social identity theory, we suggest that natives from stereotyped groups tend to value cultural distance more and think that immigrants are not good for the economy and the fiscal system. We draw upon research showing that overweight and obese individuals suffer from social stigma and discrimination and we investigate the relationship between high body mass and attitudes toward immigrants in Europe. We exploit the appointment of the Belgian Minister of Health to provide causal evidence that stigmatization and stereotyping contribute to negative attitudes toward immigrants. Furthermore, a survey experiment shows that individuals with a higher body mass index prioritize cultural factors over economic ones when facing immigrants. Overall, our results highlight the importance of experienced discrimination and stigma internalization in understanding economic phenomena. |
| Keywords: | Attitudes toward Immigrants, Social Identity Theory, Stigma |
| JEL: | J14 J15 J71 Z1 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1470r |
| By: | Daniel Albalate (Dept. of Econometrics, Statistics and Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Mattia Borsati (Dept. of Econometrics, Statistics and Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Albert Gragera (Dept. of Applied Economics, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | We quantify the effect of public transportation fare subsidies on air quality by exploiting the sharp discontinuity in the cost of ridership introduced by policy intervention. We identify this effect by taking advantage of four months of massive discounts for transit services introduced in Spain on September 1, 2022, as part of the national plan to tackle the global energy crisis. Across pollutants and specifications, we find no evidence that low-cost or free-of-charge public transportation financing schemes have improved air quality. Our results reveal that measures aimed at reducing transit prices may fail to achieve the claimed environmental benefits through a modal shift from private to collective modes of transport, which suggests that massive fare discounts may not represent an efficient allocation of public funds. |
| Keywords: | Public transportation; Air quality; Externalities; Pollutants; Modal shift. JEL classification: L92, Q53, R41, R48. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202414 |
| By: | Marc Garcia-Ruiz (Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | In recent decades, decentralization has become a prominent topic in both academic and political discussions, with research increasingly focusing on its implications for economic development. This paper explores a specific facet of this debate by examining how decentralization influences business creation and the survival of new enterprises at the local level. By leveraging a panel dataset covering regions across multiple countries, we assess whether decentralization promotes entrepreneurship and sustains new businesses, particularly through the mediating role of institutional quality. Our findings suggest that while decentralization encourages business creation, it may reduce short-term firm survival rates. Additionally, strong institutional quality seems to amplify decentralization's positive effect on entrepreneurship and mitigate its adverse impact on the survival rate. |
| Keywords: | Local Economies; Decentralization; Entrepreneurship. JEL classification: L26, O43, O52, R11. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202413 |
| By: | Beat Hintermann; Beaumont Schoemann; Joseph Molloy; Thomas Götschi; Alberto Castro; Christopher Tchervenkov; Uros Tomic; Kay W. Axhausen |
| Abstract: | We implement Pigovian transport pricing in a field experiment in urban agglomerations of Switzerland over the course of 8 weeks. Our pricing considers the external costs from climate damages, health outcomes from pollution, accidents and physical activity, and congestion. It varies across time, space and mode of transport and is deducted from a budget provided to GPS-tracked participants. The treatment reduces the external costs of transport by 4.6% during the course of the experiment. The main underlying mechanism is a shift away from driving towards other modes, such as public transport, walking and cycling. Providing information about the external costs of transport alone is insufficient to change the transport behavior for the sample majority. We compute the welfare improvement due to mode shift to be 77 Swiss francs (or US dollars) per person and year, and that a fuel tax would achieve 70% of this gain. |
| Keywords: | transport pricing, Pigovian taxation, mobility, transportation, external costs, congestion, GPS-tracking |
| JEL: | H23 H31 I18 Q52 Q54 R41 R48 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11871 |
| By: | Germà Bel (Department of Econometrics, Statistics & Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Joël Bühler (Department of Econometrics, Statistics & Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Esther Pano (Department of Political Science and Constitutional Law. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | We investigate the effects of interlocal cooperation in social services. We focus on three poverty-related outcomes: Guaranteed minimum income, housing rental support, and diagnosis of children at risk. We had a rich database on municipalities in Catalonia. First, we apply a quasi-experimental strategy and then perform robustness analyses using panel models. Our most robust results indicate that cooperation has a positive and significant effect on rental assistance, but has no significant effects on guaranteed minimum income. This suggests that cooperation may be effective in improving community-based outcomes where these are determined by services which involve more complex tasks and procedures. |
| Keywords: | Intermunicipal cooperation, community outcomes, social services, complexity. JEL classification: H75, H77, H83, I38. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202418 |
| By: | Navarro, Adoracion M.; Latigar, Jokkaz S. |
| Abstract: | This study assesses the state of the country’s road and rail transport infrastructure, identifies the challenges in the implementation of the related public investment program, and generates policy insights from the analysis. Quantity and quality indicators show that the Philippines continues to suffer from inadequate and poor quality road and rail transport infrastructure. The country has even fallen behind its Association of Southeast Asian Nations neighbors in improving the quantity and quality of its roads and rails. Many of the targets set in the Philippine Development Plan, the Public Investment Program, and the expenditure program were not met. The low absorptive capacity, as indicated by unmet expenditure targets of the major agencies in charge of the road and rail transport subsectors, suggests problems in implementation. Persistent problems in implementation pertain to right-of-way acquisition, financing, political intervention, weak capacity at the local government level, natural calamities, and project management issues. There also have been newly introduced problems, such as the adverse effects of the pandemic on the materials and manpower supply chain and delays in the release of project funds. To help address these issues, the study recommends that Congress enact a long-term national transport plan. In the interim, the executive branch must strictly adhere to the principles of its National Transport Policy and execute its self-imposed prescription to craft a national transport master plan. Capacity-building programs for local government units must continue and local road databases—which are important in helping prioritize areas for national government support—must be completed and integrated. To reduce political influences on project implementation, reform champions must come to the fore and regional development councils ought to institutionalize their procedures. |
| Keywords: | transport infrastructure;public investment program;road transport;rail transport;infrastructure quality |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:rpseri:rps_2025-04 |
| By: | Catalina Bolancé (Department of Econometrics Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Montserrat Guillen (Department of Econometrics Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Ana M. Pérez-Marín (Department of Econometrics Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Anna-Patrícia Orteu (Department of Econometrics Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | The Difference-in-Difference (DiD) method is useful to test if an event has effects in a given outcome using non-experimental data. Based on DiD method, we propose alternative panel models to estimate the causal effects of the traffic accidents on driving behavior patterns: the total annual driving distance in km, the percent of km circulated above the speed limits, in urban areas and at night. We use a data set provided by an ”insurtech” company that uses car sensors to measure driving data over a period of three years. The estimation results show as the causal effects of accidents are different if we consider frequency of accidents, type of damages and whose fault is the accident. Furthermore, different profiles of policyholders in function of drivers and cars characteristics are associated with specific causal effects. |
| Keywords: | Telematics; average treatment effect; panel data; damages, fault; drivers heterogeneity. JEL classification: C21, C55, G22. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202411 |
| By: | Álvarez, Andrés (Universidad de los Andes); Castañeda, Brigitte (Universidad de los Andes); Hofstetter Gascón, Marc (Universidad de los Andes) |
| Abstract: | How do subnational tax collection efforts respond to windfall revenues from natural resource royalties? Conversely, what are the fiscal implications when these revenues decline? This paper investigates the effects of Colombia’s 2012 reform, which substantially restructured the allocation of mining royalties among municipalities. By analyzing this legal shift, we assess changes in municipal tax collection behavior. Municipalities that experienced a reduction in royalties intensified their tax collection efforts; however, these efforts did not fully offset the revenue losses. In contrast, municipalities that benefited from increased royalties reduced their tax collection activities, resulting in no net change in overall municipal income. These findings contribute to the literature on the resource curse by offering a subnational perspective on the fiscal dynamics of resource windfalls |
| Keywords: | Taxes; royalties; resource curse. |
| JEL: | H71 H72 H83 P11 |
| Date: | 2025–06–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000089:021389 |
| By: | Richard Holden; Fabio I. Martinenghi |
| Abstract: | There has been substantial public debate about the potentially deleterious effects of the long-run move to ``inquiry-based learning'' in which students are placed at the center of an educational journey and arrive at their own understanding of what is being taught. There have been numerous calls for a return to ``direct'' or ``explicit'' instruction. This paper focuses on identifying the causal effect of correctly implementing explicit instruction on student performance in standardized tests. We utilise a unique setting in Australia\textemdash a country in which all students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 undergo annual basic skills tests (``NAPLAN''). We use a synthetic control approach to study the effect of introducing Explicit Instruction in Charlestown South Public School\textemdash a median-performing school\textemdash on Year-3 and Year-5 NAPLAN scores in Reading and Numeracy. Importantly, this is achieved via peer modelling, with Charlestown teaching staff sitting-in during the classes of a high-performing explicit-instruction school. We find that the performance gains are substantial and persistent. JEL: I20, I21. Keywords: Education, Explicit Instruction, Pedagogy. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2506.10480 |
| By: | Robert Benassai-Dalmau; Vasiliki Voukelatou; Rossano Schifanella; Stefania Fiandrino; Daniela Paolotti; Kyriaki Kalimeri |
| Abstract: | Food market accessibility is a critical yet underexplored dimension of food systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Here, we present a continent-wide assessment of spatial food market accessibility in Africa, integrating open geospatial data from OpenStreetMap and the World Food Programme. We compare three complementary metrics: travel time to the nearest market, market availability within a 30-minute threshold, and an entropy-based measure of spatial distribution, to quantify accessibility across diverse settings. Our analysis reveals pronounced disparities: rural and economically disadvantaged populations face substantially higher travel times, limited market reach, and less spatial redundancy. These accessibility patterns align with socioeconomic stratification, as measured by the Relative Wealth Index, and moderately correlate with food insecurity levels, assessed using the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Overall, results suggest that access to food markets plays a relevant role in shaping food security outcomes and reflects broader geographic and economic inequalities. This framework provides a scalable, data-driven approach for identifying underserved regions and supporting equitable infrastructure planning and policy design across diverse African contexts. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2505.07913 |
| By: | Corona, Joshua |
| Abstract: | Intergroup dynamics and social avoidance in public spaces fundamentally shape democratic societies by influencing civic interactions essential for building trust across difference, yet methodological challenges have limited systematic observation of naturalistic behavior. Democratic theory suggests that everyday spatial segregation may undermine cross-group encounters necessary for sustaining democratic trust and participation. The proposed protocol presents a Fly-on-the-Wall Study---a large-N, probability-based research design---to first document the baseline likelihood of intergroup contact between strangers and then to examine subsequent social avoidance patterns on public transit platforms in Seattle, Washington. The study systematically codes interpersonal spacing behaviors between the first two individuals arriving on train platforms, analyzing how social distance varies with demographic characteristics including sex, age, race-ethnicity, skin color, and class. This approach enables systematic adjudication between competing theoretical mechanisms---statistical discrimination, intergroup contact, racial threat, and social identity theories---by capturing how avoidance patterns vary across demographic combinations and environmental contexts. By establishing whether systematic avoidance patterns exist in everyday public encounters that constitute civic life, this research provides the empirical foundation for understanding how micro-level spatial behaviors may fragment democratic community. Results would advance theoretical understanding of intergroup dynamics in naturalistic settings, while null results would challenge assumptions about concealed bias and suggest greater potential for democratic trust-building. |
| Date: | 2025–06–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:kx6wr_v1 |
| By: | Buchetti, Bruno; Miquel-Flores, Ixart; Fabrizi, Michele; Ipino, Elisabetta; Parbonetti, Antonio |
| Abstract: | This study examines how dismantling Mafia-connected firms affects banks’ lending practices. Using a unique dataset of 667 such firms and loan-level data from the European Central Bank, our analysis shows that anti-Mafia operations precede an increase in bank loans to businesses that operate in areas that are directly affected by these actions. Specifically, overall loan volumes increase by approximately 0.8 percent, which translates to an increase of €1.38 billion in bank loans to these firms. The effect increases to 1.2 percent in areas that have experienced extensive Mafia activities, amounting to €2.76 billion in bank loans, and to 2.1 percent in areas that were once dominated by Mafia-connected firms that were engaged in rent extraction, amounting to €3.62 billion in bank loans. Borrowing costs rise concurrently, driven by heightened perceptions of risk following exposure of Mafia infiltration. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that banks’ responses vary significantly because non-local and foreign banks and banks with no prior exposure to Mafia-affiliated firms face increased challenges related to their lack of local knowledge. Removal of Mafia-connected firms also correlates with improved productivity in affected municipalities, underscoring financial institutions’ dynamic responses to the eradication of organized crime and the potential for economic revitalization in post-Mafia environments. JEL Classification: E52, E58, G11 |
| Keywords: | credit market, credit risk, organized crime |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20253060 |
| By: | Sanchez-Aragon, Leonardo; Sánchez, Gonzalo; Zanoni, Wladimir |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the causal effects of central-to-local government transfers on local economic activity in Ecuador, utilizing exogenous variation from a reform in the intergovernmental transfer formula implemented in 2018. Addressing gaps in the fiscal decentralization literature, this study provides quasi-experimental evidence from a developing country context. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that a 1% increase in transfers leads to a 1. 19%-1. 26% increase in local business sales, particularly for small and medium enterprises. We identify recurrent spend- ing, primarily current expenditure, such as personnel costs, as the main transmission mechanism, challenging prior literature that emphasizes investment spending. This research contributes novel empirical insights into how transfers impact local economies in middle-income countries and provides relevant policy implications for effectively structuring fiscal decentralization in resource-dependent contexts. |
| Keywords: | fiscal decentralization;local economy;instrumental variables |
| JEL: | H77 C26 O18 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14141 |
| By: | Bayudan-Dacuycuy, Connie |
| Abstract: | Using survival analysis, this paper investigates student- and household-level factors that affect the hazard and incidence of exits among college-age students who have ever been enrolled in college. The paper has limitations as it focuses solely on school attendance, the closest available indicator of enrollment patterns and, thus, attrition. Despite this, the results offer insights into the covariates affecting the hazard and incidence of exits. The paper 1) provides directions to address issues arising from individual- and household-level vulnerabilities and 2) suggests ways to improve the data needed to accurately reflect the success and performance of the HEI ecosystem. Comments on this paper are welcome within 60 days from the date of posting. Email publications@pids.gov.ph. |
| Keywords: | hazard and incidence of exits;attrition |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:dpaper:dp_2025-12 |
| By: | Guglielmo Maria Caporale; Matteo Alessi |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between local banking and prosperity at the municipal level in Italy from 2011 to 2021. The latter variable is measured using an index proposed by Sen (1976). The analysis is based on panel regressions including a measure of local banking and other control variables at the municipality level. The static results indicate a positive and significant association between the presence of local banking and prosperity. They are confirmed by the dynamic panel estimates, and are robust to using different proxies for local bank presence. Their implication is that cooperative banking plays a crucial role in promoting prosperity at the local level. |
| Keywords: | well-neing, cooperative banking, static and dynamic panels, GMM |
| JEL: | I31 G21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11926 |
| By: | Yuri Faenza; Aapeli Vuorinen |
| Abstract: | Many centralized mechanisms for two-sided matching markets that enjoy strong theoretical properties assume that the planner solicits full information on the preferences of each participating agent. In particular, they expect that participants compile and communicate their complete preference lists over agents from the other side of the market. However, real-world markets are often very large and agents cannot always be expected to even produce a ranking of all options on the other side. It is therefore important to understand the impact of incomplete or truncated lists on the quality of the resultant matching. In this paper, we focus on the Serial Dictatorship mechanism in a model where each agent of the proposing side (students) has a random preference list of length $d$, sampled independently and uniformly at random from $n$ schools, each of which has one seat. Our main result shows that if the students primarily care about being matched to any school of their list (as opposed to ending up unmatched), then all students in position $i\leq n$ will prefer markets with longer lists, when $n$ is large enough. Schools on the other hand will always prefer longer lists in our model. We moreover investigate the impact of $d$ on the rank of the school that a student gets matched to. Our main result suggests that markets that are well-approximated by our hypothesis and where the demand of schools does not exceed supply should be designed with preference lists as long as reasonable, since longer lists would favor all agents. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2506.06217 |
| By: | Zhang, Xin; Chen, Xi; Sun, Hong; Yang, Yuanjian |
| Abstract: | This paper attempts to provide one of the first population-based causal estimates of the effect of air pollution on suicidal ideation-a key precursor to suicide attempt and completion-among school-age children. We use daily variations in the local wind direction as instruments to address endogeneity in pollution exposure. Matching a unique risk behavior survey of 55, 000 students from 273 schools with comprehensive data on air pollutants and weather conditions according to the exact date and location of schooling, our findings indicate that a 1% decline in daily PM2.5 is associated with a 0.36% reduction in the probability of suicidal ideation. Moreover, the dose-response relationship reveals that the marginal effects increase significantly and non-linearly with elevated concentration of PM2.5. The effect is particularly pronounced among younger, male, students from low-educated families, and students with lower grades. |
| Keywords: | suicidal ideation, air pollution, school-age children, risky behaviors, China |
| JEL: | I31 Q51 Q53 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1618 |
| By: | Heuer, Felix; Sommer, Stephan |
| Abstract: | Huge low-carbon investments are required to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, one obstacle for these investments may be public opposition to the installment of low-carbon technology due to high perceived net costs. In this paper, we analyze the local net costs of both wind turbines and PV farms, employing a hedonic price analysis on the universe of housing ads from German's largest online real estate platform for the period spanning from 2009 to 2021. Beyond estimating average treatment effects, we focus on distance and intensity specific effects of wind turbines and PV farms on property prices. Moreover, we add to the existing literature by estimating the effect not only of the nearest energy facility. We find that wind turbines exhibit a negative effect of 1.8-1.9% on property prices that fades out after 3 km of distance. This effect seems to become larger the more wind turbines are installed in the proximity of a property. PV farms reduce property prices more locally only up to a 2 km distance by 1.9%. |
| Abstract: | Um die Ziele des Pariser Abkommens zu erreichen, sind enorme Investitionen in kohlenstoffarme Technologien erforderlich. Ein Hindernis für diese Investitionen könnte jedoch die Ablehnung der Öffentlichkeit gegenüber der Einführung kohlenstoffarmer Technologien aufgrund der hohen wahrgenommenen Nettokosten sein. In diesem Beitrag analysieren wir die lokalen Nettokosten von Windkraftanlagen und Photovoltaikparks anhand einer hedonischen Preisanalyse der Wohnungsanzeigen auf Deutschlands größter Online-Immobilienplattform für den Zeitraum von 2009 bis 2021. Über die Schätzung der durchschnittlichen Behandlungseffekte hinaus konzentrieren wir uns auf die abstands- und intensitätsspezifischen Auswirkungen von Windkraftanlagen und Photovoltaikparks auf die Immobilienpreise. Darüber hinaus ergänzen wir die bestehende Literatur, indem wir nicht nur die Auswirkungen der nächstgelegenen Energieanlage schätzen. Wir stellen fest, dass Windkraftanlagen einen negativen Effekt von 1, 8-1, 9 % auf die Immobilienpreise haben, der nach einer Entfernung von 3 km abklingt. Dieser Effekt scheint umso größer zu werden, je mehr Windkraftanlagen in der Nähe einer Immobilie installiert sind. PV-Parks senken die Immobilienpreise lokal nur bis zu einer Entfernung von 2 km um 1, 9 %. |
| Keywords: | Renewable energy, hedonic prices, heterogeneity |
| JEL: | Q21 D12 R31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:319072 |
| By: | Stephane Hess; Sander van Cranenburgh |
| Abstract: | Travel behaviour modellers have an increasingly diverse set of models at their disposal, ranging from traditional econometric structures to models from mathematical psychology and data-driven approaches from machine learning. A key question arises as to how well these different models perform in prediction, especially when considering trips of different characteristics from those used in estimation, i.e. out-of-distribution prediction, and whether better predictions can be obtained by combining insights from the different models. Across two case studies, we show that while data-driven approaches excel in predicting mode choice for trips within the distance bands used in estimation, beyond that range, the picture is fuzzy. To leverage the relative advantages of the different model families and capitalise on the notion that multiple `weak' models can result in more robust models, we put forward the use of a model averaging approach that allocates weights to different model families as a function of the \emph{distance} between the characteristics of the trip for which predictions are made, and those used in model estimation. Overall, we see that the model averaging approach gives larger weight to models with stronger behavioural or econometric underpinnings the more we move outside the interval of trip distances covered in estimation. Across both case studies, we show that our model averaging approach obtains improved performance both on the estimation and validation data, and crucially also when predicting mode choices for trips of distances outside the range used in estimation. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2506.03693 |
| By: | Felix Degenhardt (University of Potsdam, CEPA, BSoE); Jan Sebastian Nimczik (ESMT Berlin, RFBerlin, IAB, IZA) |
| Abstract: | We examine whether gig jobs in online food delivery (OFD) are a stepping stone for refugees entering the Austrian labor market. Our identification strategy combines the quasi-random assignment of refugees to Austrian regions with the expansion of gig firms across the country. The local availability of OFD jobs at the time of access to the labor market initially accelerates job finding among refugees. Subsequently, however, gig workers remain in low-paid, unstable jobs with low career prospects, while the employment rate of refugees without gig opportunities catches up. The local availability of gig jobs negatively affects human capital investments and job search behavior, even among refugees outside the gig economy. |
| Keywords: | gig work, refugees, employment restrictions, labor market integration |
| JEL: | J15 J61 J81 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pot:cepadp:89 |
| By: | Evaluator 1 |
| Abstract: | The paper tackles a very interesting and relevant question about the environmental and health impact of urban forests i.e how human-led greening of urban areas affects well-being through its impact on pollution and pollen. The paper's strength lies in bringing together several data sources with high spatial resolution and decomposing the policy impact into vegetation density and greenery, air quality and finally health. Moreover the discussion on health and environment trade off is also new and insightful. The main critique is that claims of causality in the paper are not substantiated within the current estimation framework. However, I believe with the excellent data sources available to the authors this can be addressed in the future. |
| Date: | 2025–04–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bjn:evalua:e1urbanforests |
| By: | Germà Bel (GiM-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Joël Bühler (GiM-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | Municipalities increasingly cooperate with one another to improve their public services. In this study, we estimate the causal effect of Inter-Municipal Cooperation (IMC) on the environmental performance of waste collection in Catalonia. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we find that municipalities moving into IMC decrease non-separated waste per capita and increase the share of waste separation. However, when taking into account potential selection into treatment, a causal effect is present only in a sub-period after a strong hike in the landfill tax, and particularly for municipalities switching after this tax hike. This points to IMC’s potential to use technical capability and economies of scale for a more pronounced and rapid reaction, enhancing the effectiveness of higher-level policy. In contrast, absent the landfill tax, IMC seems to have offered limited improvement in environmental performance, suggesting at most a secondary role for internalization of local environmental spillovers. |
| Keywords: | Inter-Municipal Cooperation; Waste Management; Recycling; Selection into Treatment; Difference-in-Differences. JEL classification: H41, H77, Q53. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202501 |
| By: | C. Kirabo Jackson; Julia A. Turner; Jacob Bastian |
| Abstract: | While Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) is often proposed as an economic stimulus, its market effects remain uncertain. We analyze UPK programs implemented across nine states and cities from 1995 to 2020, leveraging their staggered adoption for identification. UPK increased Pre-K enrollment and led to a 1.2% rise in labor force participation, a 1.5% increase in employment, and a 1.6% growth in hours worked, resulting in higher aggregate earnings. Employment effects were strongest for mothers but extended to other groups, primarily women. Impacts varied, with the largest effects observed in areas with high public Pre-K enrollment. Notably, each dollar spent on UPK generated between 3 to over 20 dollars in aggregate earnings – enough that tax revenues might fully cover costs. |
| JEL: | H0 I0 J0 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33767 |
| By: | Abagna, Matthew Amalitinga; Hornok, Cecília; Mulyukova, Alina |
| Abstract: | This paper provides novel evidence on the impact of a prominent place-based policy – Special Economic Zones (SEZs) – on the economic well-being of African households. Exploiting time variation in SEZ establishment on a dataset of repeated cross-sections of households in 10 African countries during 1990-2020, we show that households living near SEZs become wealthier relative to the national average after SEZ establishment. The effect accrues mostly within 10 km of SEZs, is not driven by selective migration, and is accompanied byimproved access to household utilities, higher consumption of durable goods, increased educational attainment and a shift away from agricultural activities. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:318396 |
| By: | Metz-Peeters, Maike; Werenbeck-Ueding, Sven |
| Abstract: | We introduce a novel, non-parametric approach for estimating house price indices that capture heterogeneous price developments independently of strict functional form assumptions. Utilizing the potential outcomes framework, our approach employs causal forests to effectively address changes in the composition of available housing units while mitigating the curse of dimensionality inherent in traditional matching estimators. By directly incorporating geographical coordinates into the model, the algorithm autonomously determines the adaptive spatial neighborhood for each observation, thus avoiding the imposition of fixed spatial boundaries. This flexibility makes the method particularly well-suited for densely populated areas and enables the investigation of complex heterogeneity in house price developments. We demonstrate the utility of this approach through an application to apartment rental prices in six major German cities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating how it uncovers nuanced trends in rental price dynamics during a period of significant market change. |
| Abstract: | Wir stellen einen neuartigen, nichtparametrischen Ansatz zur Schätzung von Immobilienpreisindizes vor, der heterogene Preisentwicklungen ohne restriktive Annahmen über funktionale Zusammenhänge erfasst. Aufbauend auf dem Potential-Outcome-Framework nutzt unser Ansatz Causal Forests, um Veränderungen in der Zusammensetzung des verfügbaren Wohnungsangebots zu berücksichtigen und gleichzeitig das bei herkömmlichen Matching-Verfahren auftretende Problem des Curse of Dimensionality zu vermeiden. Durch das direkte Einbinden geografischer Koordinaten in das Modell bestimmt der Algorithmus adaptiv die räumliche Nachbarschaft jeder Beobachtung und verzichtet somit auf das Festlegen starrer räumlicher Grenzen. Diese Flexibilität macht die Methode besonders geeignet für dicht besiedelte urbane Räume und erlaubt das Untersuchen komplexer Heterogenität in der Preisentwicklung. Wir demonstrieren die Anwendbarkeit des Ansatzes anhand von Mietpreisdaten für Wohnungen in sechs der größten deutschen Städte vor und während der COVID-19-Pandemie und zeigen, wie sich mit dem Verfahren detaillierte Trends in der Mietpreisdynamik in einer Phase tiefgreifender Marktveränderungen aufdecken lassen. |
| Keywords: | House price index, heterogeneity, machine learning |
| JEL: | C21 R21 R31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:319075 |
| By: | Antonio Di Paolo (Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Khalifany Ash Shidiqi (Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Indonesia.) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we analyse the effect of educational attainments on interethnic marriages in Indonesia, a multi-ethnic emerging country. The empirical analysis is based on data from the Java Island obtained from the 2014 wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey, combined with administrative data about the location and year of establishment of Higher Education Institutions (HEI). To estimate causal effects, we exploit variation in exposure to HEI by birth year and district of residence in an IV/TSLS framework. Specifically, we employ as instrument for education the number of HEI located in a radius of 10 kilometres from the centroid of the district of residence at age 18. The analysis is carried out at the individual level, with separate estimations for males and females. The results indicate that years of schooling, college attendance and completion positively affect the likelihood of exogamy, i.e. having a partner from a different ethnicity. The estimated coefficients are somewhat larger for females than for males, and all the robustness checks provide stable results, supporting their causal interpretation. The effect of schooling does not appear to be heterogeneous depending on parental education, and mixed parental ethnicity. However, it is lower for individuals with Javanese ethnicity compared to those belonging to other ethnic groups. We also analyse potential mechanisms, highlighting that migration/residential location and changes in social norms could be significant channels underlying the causal chain between higher education expansion, educational attainments, and interethnic marriages. Overall, the results reported in this paper point out that the increase in educational attainments induced by the expansion of higher education could contribute to the reduction of ethnic segregation. |
| Keywords: | Education; interethnic marriages; higher education expansion; Indonesia. JEL classification: I21, I23, J12. |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202409 |
| By: | Germà Bel (GiM-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Joël Bühler (GiM-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | We study how the privatisation of urban water is being challenged in Catalonia, which has a high proportion of private management and a high degree of monopolisation in the water contract market, compared to Spain. We use detailed and up-to-date municipal data to study the dynamics of monopolisation and remunicipalisation. We find that remunicipalisation, rather than potential competition for contracts, is a remedy against monopolisation. Inter-municipal cooperation in Catalonia facilitated the implementation of remunicipalisation in smaller municipalities. In addition, we analyse the democratisation of water management following remunicipalisation and find that progress was modest, both in Catalonia and in Spain. |
| Keywords: | Privatisation; Monopolisation; Remunicipalisation; Cooperation; Democratisation; Commons. JEL classification: B50, D42, H42, L33. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202503 |
| By: | Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Akramov, Kamiljon T.; Ergasheva, Tanzila |
| Abstract: | Climate change and increased frequency of abnormal weather are becoming growing threats to people’s livelihood, including in Central Asia. These threats are particularly challenging in Tajikistan, the poorest country in the Central Asia region. Despite the fact that migration is prevalent and remittances account for a significant share of GDP, evidence is scarce as to whether the decision to migrate is driven by weather shocks, whether migration is used as mitigating tool against adverse weather shocks, and how much of the loss in welfare is actually mitigated by such migration. This study aims to narrow this knowledge gap by providing evidence based on a unique panel dataset from one of the poorest and agriculturally dependent regions in Tajikistan (Khatlon province), combined with a detailed set of various climate data. In doing so, we apply a novel approach through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to identify key weather shock variables among a vast set of potential variables associated with outmigration decisions in different districts. Our results show that different types of weather shocks are associated with outmigration decisions in different districts within the province, ranging from rainfall, temperatures, drought, and windspeed in different subperiods throughout the year. Regardless, more abnormal weather is almost universally associated with more outmigration, and outmigration significantly mitigates the potentially adverse effects on household consumption and food/nutrition security in the origin households. However, more abnormal weather in the origin location is also associated with reduced remittances per month per migrant sent to the origin location. Thus, the capacity of migration to mitigate against weather shocks is still limited. Combined with migration policies that increase net earnings during migration, supplementary support to enhance climate resilience in home locations, such as climate-smart agriculture and development of the non-farm sector, remains critical. |
| Keywords: | climate change; shock; migration; extreme weather events; agriculture; food security; Tajikistan; Asia; Central Asia |
| Date: | 2025–06–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:175059 |
| By: | Krekel, Christian (London School of Economics); Goebel, Jan (DIW Berlin); Rehdanz, Katrin (Kiel University) |
| Abstract: | Most people consider parks important for their quality of life, yet systematic causal evidence is missing. We exploit exogenous variations in their use values to estimate causal effects. Using a representative household panel with precise geographical coordinates of households linked to satellite images of green spaces with a nationwide coverage, we employ a spatial difference-in-differences design, comparing within-individual changes between residents living close to a green space and those living further away. We exploit Covid-19 as exogenous shock. We find that green spaces raised overall life satisfaction while reducing symptoms of anxiety (feelings of nervousness and worry) and depression. There is also suggestive evidence for reduced loneliness. Given the number of people in their surroundings, a compensating-surplus calculation suggests that parks added substantial benefits during the period studied. |
| Keywords: | quasi-natural experiment, wellbeing, mental health, green spaces, parks, compensating surplus |
| JEL: | I10 I31 R23 H41 Q51 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17942 |
| By: | Satoshi Mizobata (Kyoto Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University; Ristumeikan University); Kazuho Yokogawa (Kanagawa University); Victor Gorshkov (University of Niigata Prefecture); Hiroaki Hayashi (Ristumeikan University); Vasiliy Anikin (HSE University) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the results of a survey on social capital in Russia, conducted from December 2023 to January 2024. It represents the second round of research, following an initial survey conducted in early 2022. The survey fs methodology for this round mirrors that of the first, with 1, 600 individuals from across Russia surveyed on their perceptions of social networks, levels of trust, civic engagement, and evaluations of government policies. Conducted nearly two years after the start of the military conflict with Ukraine and the imposition of economic sanctions by Western countries, this paper aims to assess how social capital has evolved during this turbulent period. The findings indicate that Russian social capital has remained relatively stable. Key characteristics include low generalized trust, high particularized trust, strong networks among family, relatives, and close friends, as well as mutual support within these networks. There is also notable trust in the President and the military. However, slight shifts are observable, such as efforts of some respondents to form new social ties and networks and emerging social division, particularly pronounced in generational differences in attitudes toward Russia fs government policies on Ukraine. |
| Keywords: | social capital, Russia, social network, social trust, civic engagement |
| JEL: | A13 A14 P52 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kyo:wpaper:1118 |
| By: | Yuriy Ponomarev (Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy); Ksenia Rostislav (Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy) |
| Abstract: | In 2024, despite the continuing pressure from the ongoing international sanction restrictions and new restrictive measures, the transportation industry demonstrated its ability to adapt, stabilize and build logistics supply chains, which is confirmed by the positive dynamics of cargo, freight and passenger traffic volumes. In the freight transportation industry, there is a trend towards the expansion of transportation and logistics services, which was facilitated by the development of transport and warehousing infrastructure. The growth of freight flows is facilitated by Russia’s inclusion in international trade and transport flows: according to preliminary estimates, in 2024, the volume of freight traffic along the Trans-Caspian international transport route (TCITR) increased significantly (by 63% to 4 mn tons). The development of passenger transport is facilitated by the growing demand for transportation services, in particular air services, as well as the growth of transportation efficiency due to an increase in flight hours and passenger seat occupancy. The sector managed to overcome the recession of the previous years and reduce the backlog of transportation workloads from pre-crisis levels. |
| Keywords: | Russian economy, transportation industry, freight tariffs, passenger traffic, railways |
| JEL: | L91 L92 L93 L99 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gai:ppaper:ppaper-2025-1418 |
| By: | Elena Panova (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Thibault Laurent (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how the structure of communication networks influences learning and social welfare when participants have different prior opinions and face uncertainty about an external state. We analyze a game in which players form links to exchange opinions on the state and reduce their uncertainty. The players hold imperfectly correlated subjective priors on the state. Therefore, their opinions transmit their private signals with frictions, termed interpretation noise. Network clustering facilitates learning by eliminating this interpretation noise. Therefore, the egalitarian efficient network is: a complete component if the interpretation noise is sufficiently high, and a flower otherwise. This network constitutes a Nash equilibrium. These findings establish a link between a key feature of social networks (clustering) and the quality of learning through network communication, offering a potential explanation for the prevalence of clustering in real-world social networks. |
| Keywords: | Network formation, Clustering, Differentiated priors |
| Date: | 2025–05–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05096724 |
| By: | Jean-Paul Kumakete Bundjembo (UCC - FED - Université Catholique du Congo - Faculté d'Economie et Développement, ISDR - Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural - ISDR-MBEO) |
| Abstract: | The Local Development Program for the 145 Territories (PDL-145T) aims to increase the effectiveness of public policies and rapidly reduce poverty and spatial inequalities in the DRC. Its funding follows an egalitarian logic : each territory, regardless of the number of its sectors/chiefdoms, its population, and its size, receives the same amount of monetary units to achieve the same objectives. This philosophy is far from equitable and is less suited to the program's goals for obvious reasons. The best criterion for allocating PDL-145T funds is the number of sectors per entity; this criterion minimizes disparities between territories. |
| Abstract: | Le Programme de développement local des 145 territoires (PDL-145T) entend accroître l'efficacité des politiques publiques et réduire rapidement la pauvreté et les inégalités spatiales en RD Congo. Son financement obéit à une logique égalitariste : chaque territoire, quels que soient le nombre de ses secteurs/chefferies, sa population et sa taille, reçoit le même nombre d'unités monétaires pour réaliser les mêmes objectifs. Cette philosophie est loin d'être équitable et moins adaptée aux objectifs du programme pour des raisons évidentes. Le meilleur critère de répartition des fonds du PDL-145T est le nombre de secteurs par entité ; critère qui minimise les écarts entre territoires. |
| Keywords: | PDL-145T, Développement local, Développement rural, Inégalités, Région |
| Date: | 2025–02–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05054542 |
| By: | Germà Bel (Department of Econometrics, Statistics & Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Esther Pano (Department of Political Science and Constitutional Law. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Marianna Sebő (Department of Econometrics, Statistics & Applied Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | The emergence and dynamics of inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) remain complex despite extensive research. This study examines why and when municipalities engage in IMC across multiple services. Using data from Catalonia spanning a decade, we analyse both static and dynamic factors influencing IMC adoption. Our generalized linear mixed model reveals that population size, fiscal constraints, and political participation significantly affect cooperation patterns. Economies of scale are particularly relevant for services where cooperation is frequent, while their influence diminishes as economies of density are involved. The dynamic analysis using Cox proportional hazards models indicates that high public debt and low turnout accelerate IMC adoption. These findings enhance the understanding of IMC drivers and highlight the importance of distinguishing between service-specific, organizational, and political factors that influence the existence of cooperation versus those driving its timing. Our analysis across eight services confirms that no single delivery service approach fits all scenarios. |
| Keywords: | Local Government; Intermunicipal Cooperation; Public services. JEL classification: H42; H44; H83; L33. |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202419 |
| By: | Stanislas Rigal (UMR TETIS - Territoires, Environnement, Télédétection et Information Spatiale - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Coralie Calvet (MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - UM - Université de Montpellier, SENS - Savoirs, ENvironnement et Sociétés - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - UMPV - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry); Léa Tardieu (UMR TETIS - Territoires, Environnement, Télédétection et Information Spatiale - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Sébastien Roussel (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier); Anne-Charlotte Vaissière (ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ECOBIO - Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] - UR - Université de Rennes - INEE-CNRS - Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - OSERen - Observatoire des sciences de l'environnement de Rennes - UR - Université de Rennes - INSU - CNRS - Institut national des sciences de l'Univers - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Transport infrastructures dedicated to low-carbon public transport are seen as a central tool in public policy strategies to mitigate climate change. Yet, the development of transport infrastructures has significant direct and indirect negative effects on biodiversity and social acceptability of these impacts remain little assessed. In this study, we analyse potential impacts of 20 tramway existing projects in France and social preferences with regard to their ecological and landscape integration. Using a discrete choice experiment on 1000 respondents, we show that users, even the most time constrained, are accepting an average travel time lengthening of 15 %, if tramway project integration retains a more wooded landscape, more diverse and abundant species and access to a natural area. We show that brief information provided on the state of biodiversity through framing encourages environmental consideration. We quantify the estimated impact of these projects on the naturalness of habitats and the buffer effect that project ecological integration could allow. These results highlight the non-negligible ecological impact of low-carbon transport infrastructures. They underline the need to consider climate change mitigation strategies in tandem with biodiversity preservation, while taking into account user preferences which affect the acceptability of the ecological and landscape integration of these projects. |
| Keywords: | Choice experiment, Tram, Transport policy, Urban biodiversity |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05085536 |
| By: | Assaf Razin |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the two-way relationship between international migration and political regime change, emphasizing the potential for a feedback loop: political shifts influence migration patterns, and migration can, in turn, affect political developments. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach and a dataset combining migration flows, regime quality indicators (CHRI), and measures of economic integration such as EU membership, the study identifies three key findings. First, substantial immigration into politically fragile democracies can further weaken their institutions. Second, democratic decline tends to increase emigration, undermining a country's ability to a democratic institutional recovery. Third, international economic integration, particularly in our study, through EU accession—shapes how emigration responds to political change. |
| JEL: | F02 H7 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33793 |