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on Urban and Real Estate Economics |
| By: | Andres Rodriguez-Pose |
| Abstract: | This paper offers a critical review and synthesis of the literature on the relationship between urban agglomeration, density, and regional prosperity. Agglomeration and density have long been portrayed as the core drivers of urban and regional success. Yet the evidence remains stubbornly inconclusive: some large cities flourish while others stagnate, and many smaller cities quietly outperform their sprawling counterparts. If density were destiny, the world’s largest cities would consistently lead in wealth and opportunity. However, they frequently do not. The paper argues that genuine sources of growth lie instead in institutional quality, the resilience of local ecosystems, and the strength of inter-territorial linkages. Conventional models have mostly dwelt on a narrow set of negative externalities —congestion, high rents, pollution— while overlooking deeper structural costs: territorial inequalities that erode trust, trigger discontent, and consign whole cities and regions to prolonged decline. As political and social fractures within countries widen, it is increasingly evident that prosperity hinges not on agglomeration itself but on the conditions of cities and their relationships with their hinterlands. The way forward requires a shift in policy and analysis towards place- sensitive strategies and robust institutions capable of promoting inclusive prosperity across all cities and regions, rather than privileging a select few. |
| Keywords: | agglomeration economies, urban density, territorial inequality, institutions, regional development, geography of discontent, ecosystems, place-based policies |
| JEL: | R11 R12 O18 O43 P25 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2539 |
| By: | Ribeiro, Diogo; de Almeida Vilares, Hugo; Carvalho, Luís |
| Abstract: | We investigate the impact of housing supply on affordability in rapidly appreciating sub-national markets in Portugal. Our spatial econometric model confirms a negative relation between housing stock and prices, yet predicts that, on average, maintaining the construction pace of the 2000s would lower prices by only 3%, while doubling it would bring a 6% reduction. We also find significant price impacts from short-term rentals and international demand. Simulations indicate that a policy mix combining moderate supply growth with sensible limitations in those domains could more effectively alleviate affordability pressures in high-demand regions, bringing spatial nuance to the “supply skepticism” debate. |
| Keywords: | housing affordability; supply skepticism; short-term rentals; tourism; spatial spillovers |
| JEL: | R21 R23 R31 R38 |
| Date: | 2025–12–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130587 |
| By: | Massimo Anelli, Paolo Pinotti, Zachary Porrecw |
| Abstract: | We study the short- and long-term effects of organized crime across neighborhoods in U.S. cities by exploiting the migration of Sicilian Mafia members in the 1920s who fled a large-scale repression campaign in Italy. Using newly linked administrative and historical data from the U.S. Census, Social Security records, and declassified files of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, we show that neighborhoods hosting enclaves of migrants from Sicilian towns targeted by the repression later became centers of Italo-American Mafia activity. These neighborhoods experienced higher violence, incarceration, and financial exclusion in the short run, but higher educational attainment and employment in the long run. The results suggest that while the arrival of organized criminal networks initially intensified conflict and exclusion, their subsequent consolidation generated localized economic spillovers, helping to explain the long-term resilience and persistence of organized crime. |
| Keywords: | Electoral Rules, Immigration, Salience |
| JEL: | D72 J24 J61 R23 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:baf:cbafwp:cbafwp25259 |
| By: | Travers, Tony |
| Abstract: | Housing policy in England has undergone significant reform on several occasions since 1945. Consensus approaches in the late 1940s and 50s to build large numbers of council houses and new private homes gave way to more ideologically driven policies in the 1970s and 80s. Fashions for modern architecture, system building and the layout of estates (and reactions to such fads) fed the politicisation of housing, notably in relation to attitudes to the relative benefits of owner‐occupation as compared to social renting. A substantial number of council homes were sold off at a discount under the Thatcher government's Right to Buy policy. Successive governments failed to maintain the social housing estate, whether owned by local government or housing associations. Since 2000, a new consensus has emerged where a modest increase in social housing is seen as desirable, alongside policies to encourage owner‐occupation and to improve the private rental sector. |
| Keywords: | housing; new towns; architecture; renting; owner-occupation; inner cities |
| JEL: | N0 Q15 |
| Date: | 2025–12–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130474 |
| By: | Evangelos Rasvanis, Andreas Psarras and Theodore Panagiotidis (Department of Economics, University of Macedonia) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the determinants of regional disparities in road traffic accident (RTA) outcomes across European regions. Using panel data and negative binomial models, it examines socioeconomic, institutional, cultural and behavioural drivers on fatalities and injuries. The results reveal marked regional variation, with Southern Europe exhibiting higher casualty rates. Education, perceptions of road safety, rule of law, informal economy and GDP per capita significantly affect RTA outcomes. Marginal effects confirm that tertiary education substantially reduces both fatalities and injuries. The empirical evidence highlights the importance of locational and institutional factors for designing targeted, region-specific road safety policies. |
| Keywords: | Road traffic accidents; European regions; Cultural factors; Behavioural patterns. |
| JEL: | I19 R10 R41 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mcd:mcddps:2025_03 |
| By: | Rodier, Caroline PhD; Zhang, Yunwan PhD; Harold, Brian S.; Drake, Christina PhD |
| Abstract: | People living on low incomes often lack affordable and reliable transportation options. These barriers limit access to essential destinations such as medical appointments, school, and jobs. In response, several U.S. cities have tested universal basic mobility wallets that provide flexible transportation funds to low-income residents. In 2023, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority launched one of the largest mobility wallet pilot programs, offering $150 per month to 1, 000 participants over the course of a year on prepaid debit cards. Participants could use the monthly stipend to pay for transit, ridehailing, carsharing, car rentals, shared bicycles and scooters, and bicycle purchases. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Date: | 2025–12–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt9f45r24p |
| By: | Juan Pereyra; Eduardo Duque-Rosas; Juan Pablo Torres-Martínez |
| Abstract: | The student-optimal stable mechanism (DA), the most popular mechanism in school choice, is the only one that is stable and strategy-proof. However, when DA is implemented, a student can change the schools of others without changing her own. We show that this drawback is limited: a student cannot change her schoolmates while remaining in the same school. We refer to this new property as local non-bossiness and use it to provide a new characterization of DA that does not rely on stability. Furthermore, we show that local non-bossiness plays a crucial role in providing incentives to be truthful when students have preferences over their colleagues. As long as students first consider the school to which they are assigned and then their schoolmates, DAinduces the only stable and strategy-proof mechanism. There is limited room to expand this preference domain without compromising the existence of a stable and strategy-proof mechanism. |
| Keywords: | School Choice, Local Non-bossiness, Student-optimal stable mechanism, Preferences over Colleagues |
| JEL: | D47 C78 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2510 |
| By: | Benoit Mojon; Han Qiu; Fang Wang; Michael Weber |
| Abstract: | We estimate the effects of changes in house prices on consumption using unique data of Alipay transactions from Chinese households, spanning from January 2017 to March 2023. We find significant housing wealth effects: changes in house prices are positively associated with future changes in consumption in 33 Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Specifically, in these cities, a 10% increase in house prices leads to a 1.6% increase in consumption. However, this relationship is not observed in smaller Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities. We also find that housing wealth effects are more pronounced among older households and homeowners, while renters show no such effect. Additionally, in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, higher house prices tend to crowd out consumption among younger households. |
| Keywords: | consumption, house prices, savings |
| JEL: | R2 R3 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bis:biswps:1319 |
| By: | Sara Giunti; Andrea Guariso; Mariapia Mendola; Irene Solmone |
| Abstract: | In advanced economies, growing population diversity often fuels hostility toward immigrants and deepens social divides. We study a short educational program for high-school students designed to promote cultural diversity and improve attitudes toward immigration through active learning. Using a randomized controlled trial involving 4, 500 students from 252 classes across 40 schools in northern Italy, we find that the program fostered more positive attitudes and behaviors toward immigrants, particularly in more diverse classrooms. In terms of mechanisms, the intervention reduced students’ misperceptions and shifted perceived classroom norms, but did not affect implicit bias, empathy, or social networks. Our findings indicate that anti-immigration attitudes largely stem from stereotypes and broad societal concerns, and that educational programs combining factual learning with norm-shaping elements, such as critical thinking and structured intergroup engagement, can effectively mitigate them. |
| Keywords: | Immigration attitudes, Ethnic Stereotypes, Social Inclusion Policy, Impact Evaluation. |
| JEL: | F22 J15 J61 D72 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mib:wpaper:564 |
| By: | Natee Amornsiripanitch; David Wylie |
| Abstract: | Economic models often assume that agents always know the market value of their assets. We use residential property tax assessment as a laboratory to test this assumption for housing. We first show that assessed market value (AMV) is a noisy proxy for transaction-based market value (TMV). Innovations in AMV are less volatile than, are weakly correlated with, and lag innovations in TMV. An AMV-based, national-level house price index has shallower troughs and shorter peaks than its TMV-based counterpart. We merge in anonymized credit bureau data to test whether homeowners use AMVs, as signals of housing wealth, to make consumption decisions. Using local mass reassessments as an instrument, we find that AMV changes causally affect the likelihood that households take out a new home equity line of credit (HELOC) with a similar economic magnitude as TMV changes. A partial equilibrium calibration exercise suggests that innovations in AMV can explain approximately 1% of annual HELOC origination. Overall, our results suggest that homeowners do not fully know the value of their homes. |
| Keywords: | Housing wealth; consumption; information frictions |
| JEL: | E2 G4 G5 R2 |
| Date: | 2025–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedpwp:102266 |
| By: | Rosa Cheesman; Nicolai T. Borgen; Astrid M. J. Sandsor; Paul Hufe |
| Abstract: | 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 geneenvironment 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 |
| Date: | 2025–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:25/811 |
| By: | Palak Suri; Maureen L. Cropper |
| Abstract: | We measure benefits to households from Mumbai’s new Metro rail system. We estimate a commute mode choice model to value commute time savings in the short run and a housing choice model to value the improved commuting utility that households experience due to spatial sorting. Aggregate benefits from Metro rail are over 10 times higher when spatial sorting occurs. In the short run women, college-educated workers, and workers with above median incomes experience higher benefits than their opposites. In the long run, households with lower incomes and assets and less than college education benefit more than their wealthier counterparts. |
| JEL: | O18 R1 R2 R4 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34613 |
| By: | Andres Rodriguez-Pose; Leiboyu Xiang; Neil Lee |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the first systematic city-level mapping of global scientific talent, analysing the top 200, 000 star scientists across 3, 635 cities worldwide annually between 2019 and 2023. We use a novel Knowledge Generation Index (KGI) that combines researcher quantity with research impact to reveal extreme spatial concentration in knowledge production. Just four cities — New York, Boston, London and the San Francisco Bay Area — host 12% of the world's star scientists, while much of the Global South remains virtually excluded from frontier research. Beijing's ascent into the global top ten represents a rare challenge to established hierarchies. Our analysis uncovers striking disciplinary variations. Resource-intensive fields like clinical medicine cluster heavily and traditionally dispersed disciplines are increasingly gravitating toward major hubs. Despite these differences, concentration is intensifying across most scientific fields. Even the pandemic's remote collaboration experiment failed to level the playing field. Established innovation centres continued strengthening their advantages while peripheral regions fell further behind. Overall, we find that geography remains destiny, with profound implications for innovation policy confronting widening spatial inequalities in global scientific capacity. |
| Keywords: | Star scientists; geography of knowledge; innovation agglomeration; spatial inequality |
| JEL: | O25 O31 R12 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2540 |
| By: | Silke Anger (IAB, University of Bamberg, IZA); Bernhard Christoph (IAB); Agata Gałkiewicz (University of Potsdam, IAB, CEPA); Shushanik Margaryan (University of Potsdam, IZA, Berlin School of Economics, CEPA); Malte Sandner (Nuremberg Institute of Technology, IAB, IZA); Thomas Siedler (University of Potsdam, IZA, Berlin School of Economics, CEPA) |
| Abstract: | Tutoring programs for low-performing students, delivered in-person or online, effectively enhance school performance, yet their medium- and longer-term impacts on labor market outcomes remain less understood. To address this gap, we conduct a randomized controlled trial with 839 secondary school students in Germany to examine the effects of an online tutoring program for low-performing students on academic performance and school-to-work transitions. The online tutoring program had a non-significant intention-to-treat effect of 0.06 standard deviations on math grades six months after program start. However, among students who had not received other tutoring services prior to the intervention, the program significantly improved math grades by 0.14 standard deviations. Moreover, students in non-academic school tracks experienced smoother school-to-work transitions, with vocational training take-up 18 months later being 5 percentage points higher—an effect that was even larger (12 percentage points) among those without prior tutoring. Overall, the results indicate that tutoring can generate lasting benefits for low-performing students that extend beyond school performance. |
| Keywords: | online tutoring, randomized controlled trial, disadvantaged youth, school grades, school-to-work transition |
| JEL: | C93 I20 I24 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pot:cepadp:95 |
| By: | Zoltan Elekes; Emelie Hane-Weijman |
| Abstract: | Labour mobility plays a central role in shaping local economies. Substantial contributions have been made in the Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) literature to understand the dynamics and geographies of local economies. A key contribution of EEG research has been the emphasis on both the supply of work and the demand for workers, raising questions about skill matching. Building on this tradition, the aim of this chapter is twofold. First, we aim to summarize the contributions on labour mobilities and skill relatedness made by EEG. Second, we argue that the micro perspective in EEG could be enriched by focusing more on the heterogeneity of workers with respect to, for instance, gender, age or ethnicity. We then outline a future research agenda within EEG that is more attentive to the diversity of workers by exploring (1) the assortativity of skill relatedness networks, (2) the bounded mobilities of workers and (3) dimensions of proximity beyond the cognitive. |
| Keywords: | labour mobility, skill relatedness, local labour markets, spatial division of labour, skill mismatch, worker heterogeneity |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2541 |
| By: | Ã kos Aczél (Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary)); Lajos Tamás Szabó (Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary)) |
| Abstract: | We examine peer effects in mortgage borrowing decisions. We find that having financially literate colleagues improves the borrowing decisions of financially less literate co†workers. Interest rates on the mortgage loans of these co†workers are significantly lower than for similar employees, whose peers have lower financial literacy. The magnitude of the effect is economically significant, amounting to roughly 4 to 5 monthly instalments until maturity. The results are heterogeneous: advice is more valuable for borrowers with low mathematical skills, and the peer effect is considerably higher in districts, where competition is weaker among banks. We also find that introducing a standardised loan product can offset the impact of the peer effect by making the decision problem of borrowers less complex. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, skills, borrowing decisions, mortgage loan, standardised loan product |
| JEL: | J24 G21 G41 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnb:wpaper:2025/3 |
| By: | Joop Age Harm Adema |
| Abstract: | Far-right parties frequently mobilize anti-refugee sentiment during periods of high asylum migration. Prior work shows that exposure to transit routes and regional inflows tends to raise far-right support, whereas direct local contact with asylum seekers can dampen it. Yet much of the sharp rise in far-right voting around major refugee waves remains unexplained by actual inflows. I study a Dutch policy reform, the Dispersal Act, which obligated municipalities to host asylum seekers and thereby generated a sudden, plausibly exogenous increase in expected future local inflows. Comparing changes in far-right vote shares between not-yet and already hosting municipalities before the actual arrival of asylum seekers allows me to isolate the electoral effect of heightened expectations of future hosting. I find that affected municipalities experienced a substantial increase in far-right support following the Act’s passage. The effect operates on both the extensive margin (whether municipalities expect to host) and the intensive margin (how many they expect to host): a one-percentage-point increase in allocated asylum-seeker share raises far-right vote shares by about 1.2 percentage points. |
| Keywords: | asylum seekers, far-right voting, group threat, migration |
| JEL: | D72 F22 H75 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12312 |
| By: | Javier Ferri; Francisca Herranz-Báez |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the macroeconomic and distributional impacts of carbon pricing policies targeting both residential and non-residential sectors. Using a model that incorporates nominal price rigidities, sectoral labor adjustment, and financial frictions tied to housing collateral, we uncover critical transmission mechanisms affecting household welfare.Our analysis highlights the distinct effects on borrowers and lenders: carbon pricing in the non-residential sector reduces labor demand and wages, disproportionately impacting borrowers, while residential carbon pricing lowers housing prices, tightening credit constraints for borrowers but imposing higher welfare costs on lenders who own more housing assets. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fda:fdaddt:2025-14 |
| By: | Duncan Lee (School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, UK); Gwilym Pryce (School of Economics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TU, UK); Miguel Ramos (Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham, UK) |
| Abstract: | Social frontiers – abrupt borders between communities – may heighten territorial and defensive behaviour, reduce opportunities for positive contact between groups, and exacerbate the sense of outgroup threat, resulting in a negative impact on mental health for residents living in neighbourhoods bounded by social frontiers. Previous research on the links between residential segregation and mental health has largely ignored the effect of social frontiers. To study the association between social frontiers and mental health we link Place Based Longitudinal Data Resource data on the numbers of depression diagnoses and antidepressant drugs prescribed by GPs with estimates of ethnic and religious social frontiers produced from the 2011 and 2021 Census for all Lower Super Output Areas in England. These estimates are produced from spatial binomial / Poisson models that allow for spatial autocorrelation via a simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) type structure. We find strong and consistent evidence of an association between the prevalence of mental health problems at the neighbourhood level (Lower Super Output Areas) in England and the intensity of social frontiers for particular ethnic (Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, White British) and religious (Hindu, Jewish, Muslim) groups. For example, in 2021 depression rates were between 1% and 67% higher for every 10% point increase in the intensity of social frontiers between Pakistani and non-Pakistani residents. Living in an area segregated by social frontiers is potentially detrimental to mental health. These results demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of community boundaries when considering the links between segregation and wellbeing. |
| Keywords: | Social frontiers, residential segregation, mental health, neighbourhood effects, spatial analysis |
| JEL: | I14 I31 J15 R23 C21 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:shf:wpaper:2025012 |
| By: | Biroli, Pietro (University of Bologna); Di Girolamo, Amalia (University of Birmingham); Sorrenti, Giuseppe (University of Lausanne); Totarelli, Maddalena (Ifo Institute for Economic Research) |
| Abstract: | Educational disparities often limit students' access to relatable role models, constraining their aspirations and educational outcomes. We design and implement the Online Role Model Mentoring Program (ORME), a scalable, low-cost intervention connecting middle school students with successful role models from similar backgrounds. Using a randomized controlled trial with over 450 students in Campania, Italy, we find that ORME improves students' beliefs about the returns to effort, increases alignment between aspirations and expectations, and boosts school effort. Treated students also become more academically ambitious: they are more likely to enroll in academically oriented tracks and perform better on standardized language tests. These findings show that brief online mentoring sessions can have a meaningful impact on students’ attitudes and choices at a critical stage of schooling, highlighting a promising tool to support students in low-opportunity contexts. |
| Keywords: | role models, aspirations, mentoring, school interventions |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J24 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18325 |
| By: | Tiwari, Sapan; Jafari, Afshin; Pemberton, Steve; Both, Alan; Singh, Dhirendra; Turner, Ryan; De Gruyter, Chris |
| Abstract: | Riding a bicycle, particularly for transport purposes, offers substantial environmental and health benefits. Suitable bicycle infrastructure is crucial for promoting bicycle use, but remains scarce and fragmented in Australia, particularly in regional cities. In this context, understanding cyclists' route choices is a key input in informed infrastructure planning to increase cycling mode share. This study uses data from a map-based public participatory route survey to spatially capture bicycle route choice in the regional city of Greater Bendigo, Australia. The model incorporates attributes such as level of traffic stress (LTS), slope, tree canopy cover, intersection density, and route directness, along with an adjustment to account for overlap among alternative routes. The results show that cyclists strongly prefer routes with the lowest traffic stress, lower gradients, and greater network connectivity, while avoiding circuitous paths. Cyclists are also more likely to choose routes that are distinct and share fewer common segments with alternative routes. Segmentation by gender and age reveals notable behavioural differences: female cyclists are considerably more sensitive to traffic stress and slope, prioritising safety and comfort, whereas male cyclists exhibit greater tolerance to stress and prioritise route efficiency. Middle-aged cyclists (40-60 years) exhibit the strongest aversion to stressful routes, while younger cyclists (18-40 years) demonstrate greater flexibility in route choice. These findings highlight the importance of age and gender considerations in bicycle infrastructure planning as well as prioritising low-stress, well-connected, and direct cycling corridors. The findings also highlight the value of map-based public participatory surveys as a cost-effective means of collecting route data in regional settings with small populations. |
| Date: | 2025–12–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:tdras_v1 |
| By: | Duk Gyoo Kim (Yonsei University); In Do Hwang (Bank of Korea) |
| Abstract: | Elderly poverty remains a critical issue in South Korea, despite widespread homeownership among older adults. Although the home pension program allows retirees to unlock housing wealth, uptake remains below 2% as of 2024. Using a large-scale survey of adults aged 55-79, we conduct an information provision experiment to assess how policy reforms and belief corrections affect demand. We find that enrollment intention rises by 6 percentage points when monthly pension payments are adjusted with house price changes, and by 5 percentage points when bequest conditions are made more flexible. Notably, merely informing that the fixed monthly payments-often perceived as disadvantageous during housing price increases-do not result in a loss when house prices rise because the amount bequeathed to their children increases accordingly, led to a 7%p increase in enrollment intention. Our results suggest that addressing informational barriers may be as effective as structural reforms in increasing program uptake. |
| Keywords: | Home Pension, Reverse Mortgage, Survey Experiment |
| JEL: | D14 C93 H55 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:yon:wpaper:2025rwp-273 |
| By: | Yishan Liu (Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University, JAPAN); Junyi Shen (Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, JAPAN) |
| Abstract: | This study explores the impact of risk attitudes and endowment effects on migration decisions under different motivations and migration distance conditions, focusing on the variability between short- and long-distance migration. Using data from Australia, we compare two measures of risk attitudes—a continuous risk index and a categorical risk threshold approach—and further test these effects in conjunction with household-level cluster analysis. The findings suggest that the effects of risk attitudes on migration decisions are likely to operate in long-distance migration when motivation is considered. In addition, we demonstrate that the endowment effect does not play a role in long-distance but plays a key role in short-distance migration decisions. Furthermore, we introduce a clustering-based analysis to reveal the impact of variations in family background on migration decisions. We find that the differences in coefficient estimates between the clustering and main models is negligible, indicating that the results of the main model remain robust and reliable after accounting for potential group differences. |
| Keywords: | Migration decision; Risk attitude; Endowment effect; Clustering-based analysis; Logit model |
| JEL: | D81 J61 R23 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2025-34 |
| By: | MITSUHASHI, Koga |
| Abstract: | This study empirically examines the sustainability of the Finnish education system, often lauded for its high equity. Given the recent decline in PISA scores and increasing immigration, the longevity of the "Myth of Equality" warrants re-evaluation. Using PISA 2022 data from Finland, we employed a rigorous statistical approach, specifically Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) combined with Rubin's Rules, to analyze the effect of student socioeconomic status (ESCS) on achievement and the moderating role of school autonomy (measured by discretionary power over staffing, budget, and curriculum). Results demonstrate, firstly, a clear and significant presence of educational inequality, indicating that the impact of ESCS on student achievement in Finland is substantial. Secondly, a negative interaction effect was found between ESCS and school autonomy, suggesting that the achievement gap narrows in environments where schools possess higher autonomy. This finding challenges the conventional international view that increased school autonomy leads to greater inequity. We posit that this unique Finnish mechanism is supported by a historical commitment to preventing social exclusion and by a culture of highly professional teacher autonomy rooted in research-based training. We conclude that decentralization promotes equity only when coupled with high teacher professionalism and a deeply ingrained ethos of equality. |
| Date: | 2025–12–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:edarxi:j5vt2_v1 |
| By: | Arpita Mukherjee (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)); Aashish Chaudhry; Seema Puri; Trishali Khanna; Latika Khatwani; Pallavi Verma |
| Abstract: | This policy brief offers seven key recommendations to strengthen the MoE's role in addressing Vitamin D deficiency. These include working with state education departments to ensure the availability of Vitamin D-rich and fortified foods in all schools, partnering with organisations such as GAIN, Tata Trusts and NDDB to strengthen procurement and distribution of fortified foods, diversifying school meals to include foods that are rich in Vitamin D, relaunching "Project Dhoop" to promote safe sun exposure in schools, integrating screening and supplementation of Vitamin D in school health services, identifying the most vulnerable schools and regions to implement targeted interventions and building awareness among teachers and students to address Vitamin D deficiency in India. |
| Keywords: | Vitamin D deficiency, micronutrient, public health, schools, education, icrier |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdc:ppaper:56 |
| By: | Shenglong Liu; Yuanyuan Wan; Shengxiang Xie; Xiaoming Zhang |
| Abstract: | Although education fever is widespread across East Asia, the role of public education investment in intensifying this fever remains underexamined. By leveraging the staggered rollout of county-level free senior high school education pilots in China, we find that this major expansion of public education increased the number of registrations at private tutoring centers by about 20% and doubled household spending on tutoring. Using administrative night-light data and elite university admission records, we show that the effect is driven by more intensive competition for scarce top-tier college placements rather than by declining public school quality. The response is strongest in regions with greater income inequality and lower elite university admission rates, but substantially weaker in areas with better outside options, such as higher local employment rates. Our findings suggest that expanding access to senior high school alone may exacerbate educational arms races, underscoring the need for complementary policies that reduce income disparities and broaden postsecondary opportunities. |
| Keywords: | Education Competition; Public Education Investment; Crowd-in Effect |
| JEL: | I22 I28 O15 H41 |
| Date: | 2025–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tor:tecipa:tecipa-812 |
| By: | Agata Gałkiewicz (University of Potsdam, IAB, CEPA) |
| Abstract: | Random disturbances such as air pollution may affect cognitive performance, which, particularly in high-stakes settings, may have severe consequences for an individual’s productivity and well-being. This paper examines the short-term effects of air pollution on school leaving exam results in Poland. I exploit random variation in air pollution between the days on which exams are held across three consecutive school years. I aim to capture this random variation by including school and time fixed effects. The school-level panel data is drawn from a governmental program where air pollution is continuously measured in the schoolyard. This localized hourly air pollution measure is a unique feature of my study, which increases the precision of the estimated effects. In addition, using distant and aggregated air pollution measures allows me for the comparison of the estimates in space and time. The findings suggest that a one standard deviation increase in the concentration of particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 decreases students’ exam scores by around 0.07–0.08 standard deviations. The magnitude and significance of these results depend on the location and timing of the air pollution readings, indicating the importance of the localized air pollution measure and the distinction between contemporaneous and lingering effects. Further, air pollution effects gradually increase in line with the quantiles of the exam score distribution, suggesting that high-ability students are more affected by the random disturbances caused by air pollution. |
| Keywords: | air pollution, particulate matter, education, cognitive performance, test scores, Poland |
| JEL: | I20 I21 I24 Q53 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pot:cepadp:96 |
| By: | Adibah Seila Nafaza (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia); Dea April Liandari (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia); Rifkanissa Azzahra1 (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia) |
| Abstract: | Regional disparities in Indonesia remain a significant challenge despite various development policies, including a substantial increase in infrastructure investment during President Joko Widodo’s second term. This study employs shift-share analysis to examine the factors influencing interregional inequality, decomposing it into three components: industry mix, productivity differentials, and allocative efficiency. The findings show that productivity differentials across regions are the dominant factor driving inequality, highlighting the uneven distribution of investments in technology and human capital. As a policy recommendation, this study proposes the Community-Based Development (CBD) approach to reduce inequality. CBD integrates local community participation with government policies that consider cultural norms and local wisdom, ensuring communities become the primary agents of development. This approach also helps strengthen public trust in development programs. By adopting CBD, a more balanced distribution of welfare between urban and rural areas is expected, contributing to inclusive and sustainable regional development in Indonesia. |
| Keywords: | Shift-Share Analysis, Productivity, Inequality Decomposition, Interregional Disparities, Community-Based Development |
| JEL: | E6 O1 O4 R5 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gme:wpaper:202503001 |
| By: | Nils Braakmann (Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle University); Andy (Department of Economics, University of Reading); J. James Reade (Department of Economics, University of Reading); Gennaro Rossi (Department of Economics, University of Reading) |
| Abstract: | While the relationship between football matches and crime has been well documented, little is known about whether such events also escalate violent interactions between police officers and civilians. This study addresses that gap by analysing use of force data from the Metropolitan Police Service in London to assess the impact of football matches on police behaviour. We find that on match days, the number of use of force incidents increases by an average of 0.772 in the boroughs where games are held. This effect is geographically concentrated around football stadium and is primarily driven by matches involving popular clubs, or those with violent fan bases. We find no evidence of spatial or temporal displacement of incidents. We also find some suggestive evidence that incidents may be more frequent in the case of unexpected losses. We make the case that despite the long-standing association between football and crime, the effects are considerably smaller compared to other popular mass events. |
| Keywords: | policing, football, stop and search, police use of force |
| JEL: | K42 H11 L83 |
| Date: | 2025–12–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rdg:emxxdp:em-dp2025-07 |
| By: | Hanno Jentzsch (Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna); Kostiantyn Ovsiannikov (Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology) |
| Abstract: | In Europe and the US, regional inequalities have been linked to growing electoral support for right-wing populist parties. In contrast, Japan’s rapidly shrinking rural areas have continued to support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This makes Japan a productive case to investigate factors that moderate the electoral effects of regional decline. This paper analyzes municipal-level electoral data across four general elections between 2012 and 2021 to investigate the relationship between regional decline, interregional redistribution, and electoral behavior in Japan. We focus on municipalities designated as “rapidly depopulating†, which display above-average levels of population decline and economic dependency, based on which they receive additional government support. “Depopulating municipalities†feature stronger support for the LDP-led coalition and higher turnout. This electoral profile is most pronounced in “depopulating municipalities†that remained intact during a wave of municipal mergers in the mid-2000s. The results suggest that the combined effects of high aging rates, interregional redistribution and relatively stable socio-spatial boundaries affect electoral behavior in declining regions in ways that can benefit the established conservative party. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kch:wpaper:sdes-2025-9 |
| By: | Sarah S. Baker |
| Abstract: | Does a landlord’s property tax bill affect a new tenant’s rent? According to standard economic theory, it should not — the law of one price implies that identical rental units in the same market should be priced identically, despite heterogeneity in property tax costs. This paper provides new evidence that a landlord’s property tax bill does affect rent for new tenants, violating the law of one price. I investigate the effect of heterogeneous property tax shocks on rents using a unique, quasi-experimental setting in California. California’s Proposition 13 has created large discrepancies in property tax liability among otherwise similar rental units, and these discrepancies are exacerbated quasi-randomly around a sale. Using a novel, comprehensive dataset on new-tenant rents from the City of Berkeley, I find strong evidence that landlords faced with quasi-random, building-level property tax shocks pass through $0.50–$0.89 per $1 of the property tax shock to renters. The results are robust to the inclusion of landlord size, renovations around a sale, and a property’s purchase price. I propose and empirically motivate an explanatory model of heterogeneity in landlord sophistication that can rationalize the observed positive relationship between rent and property taxes. |
| Date: | 2025–12–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedpwp:102287 |
| By: | Thomas Baudin; Yajna Govind; Simone Moriconi |
| Abstract: | Do symbolic aspects of integration policies affect migrants’ integration into the host society? In this paper, we study the effects of a symbolic change in birthright citizenship rules in France that requires second-generation immigrants to state their allegiance on their integration. Adopting a Difference-in-Differences approach, we show that, contrary to its stated aim of fostering a greater sense of belonging, this policy led to a loss of national identity and an increase in perceptions of discrimination among the target group. We document that these effects are not driven by changes in naturalization rates or an increased general hostility. We also show that while the reform did not affect their economic or political integration, it did reduce their cultural integration, as measured by religiosity and naming patterns. Overall, rather than promoting integration, such migration policies can lead to a backlash. |
| Keywords: | naturalization, migrant integration, policy backlash, national identity |
| JEL: | J1 J15 J21 J24 J61 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12362 |
| By: | Kamila Borsekova; Samuel Korony; Andres Rodriguez-Pose |
| Abstract: | The importance of institutions and innovation for regional development is well established. How these two factors interact under different historical legacies and urban-regional contexts remains, however, insufficiently understood. This paper identifies which combinations of institutional and innovation indicators most effectively classify regions into distinct developmental archetypes, revealing critical thresholds that redirect regional trajectories. Employing decision-tree analysis on 233 EU NUTS-2 regions, we analyse 15 indicators spanning institutional quality, technological readiness, business sophistication, and innovation. This methodology uncovers non-linear relationships that traditional approaches cannot capture. The findings demonstrate that institutional quality acts as a necessary condition for innovation-led growth. High-performing regions, predominantly in Western and Northern Europe, benefit from robust institutions and strong innovation outputs. Many lower-performing regions, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, exhibit innovation potential but are constrained by governance deficits. By integrating institutional and innovation indicators within a single analytical framework, we underscore how addressing governance and innovation in tandem can result in balanced and sustainable growth across Europe. |
| Keywords: | regional development, institutions, innovation, decision tree modelling, regional competitiveness |
| JEL: | O18 O43 R11 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2538 |
| By: | Inmaculada C. Alvarez; Javier Barbero; Luis Orea; Andres Rodriguez-Pose |
| Abstract: | Most studies of institutional quality and regional growth assume uniform effects across territories. However, this may mask crucial regional heterogeneity, with direct policy implications. We use a latent class framework applied to 230 EU regions over 2009-2017 to identify institution-driven regional parameter groups, and to examine both average effects and catching-up effects associated with changes in the institutional environment. We demonstrate that institutional quality generates highly variable returns to investment in physical capital and innovation. Nordic and Central European regions show highest returns to physical capital and R&D investment, whereas less-developed regions benefit most from education spending. Crucially, we find that improving government quality not only raises average returns but also promotes territorial cohesion. By contrast, regional autonomy shows limited impact on returns. Our findings challenge the one-size-fits-all approach to cohesion policy and indicate that cohesion policy should explicitly promote institutional improvements in addition to capital deployment. |
| Keywords: | Institutional quality, European funds, investment, regional development |
| JEL: | O43 E61 H54 R11 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2537 |
| By: | Li, lyric |
| Abstract: | Certain high-growth cities exhibit a persistent gap between aggregate economic performance and the labor security of their resident populations. Existing literatures have addressed this observation under various rubrics—global city stratification, precarious labor markets, financialized urbanism—yet these frameworks tend to interpret such gaps as distortions of an otherwise labor-absorptive growth process, rather than as outcomes of a structurally distinct growth logic. This paper offers an analytical re-specification by distinguishing between two growth logics: production-based growth, in which wealth accumulation is tied to local labor organization, and channel-based growth, in which wealth accrues through the facilitation of value flows that originate and terminate elsewhere. This distinction clarifies why economic expansion may proceed without structural reference to resident labor participation. The paper specifies the mechanism through which channel-based configurations delimit labor necessity and situates this argument within debates in urban studies and cultural political economy. The analytical usefulness of this framework lies in reframing growth-labor decoupling not as a policy failure, but as an indication that the growth process itself may be structurally indifferent to local labor absorption. |
| Date: | 2025–12–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:cjda2_v1 |
| By: | Chen, Yu-Yang Ambotter S. |
| Abstract: | The transportation system is a necessary element in urban assembly, and the design of the transportation system has become the core elements of urban design. This research points out the transportation system as an expression of the conscious landscape through the combination of aesthetic gaze and urban design. Conscious landscape is an extensive concept of landscape. It is based on the existence of "landscape", but its existence mainly relies on “consciousness.” Based on the discussion of consciousness, the aesthetic gaze of the city starts from economic consciousness and takes the cultural capital system as the foundation of consciousness. This research discusses the transportation system around Taipei city, especially taking the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) as an example. It is like a blood vessel that runs through the city, and its penetrating characteristics divide Taipei city. From the perspective of sightseeing and economic awareness, the MRT is a landscape with special positioning currently. MRT combines the nature of transportation with strongly economic display. In addition to being a traffic landscape, it is also a type of conscious landscape. MRT is positioned as conscious landscape, which is a description that is very specific to the characteristics of strong economic map in human brain. This includes the impression of the economic field superimposed by the MRT network nodes, and the conscious landscape is instrumental but tends to be life-oriented. The aesthetic gaze of the city locates the transportation system as a conscious landscape, and the design is the aesthetic practice of capital. |
| Date: | 2025–12–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:5zryg_v1 |
| By: | Zhu, Kunxin; Zhu, Yunan |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Political Economy |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343994 |
| By: | Ruijun Hou; Samuel Baker; Stephanie von Hinke; Hans H. Sievertsen; Emil Sorensen; Nicolai Vitt |
| Abstract: | We study the long-term health and human capital impacts of local economic conditions experienced during the first 1, 000 days of life. We combine historical data on monthly unemployment rates in urban England and Wales from 1952 to 1967 with data from the UK Biobank on later-life outcomes. Leveraging variation in unemployment driven by national industry-specific shocks weighted by industry’s importance in each area, we find no evidence that small, common fluctuations in local economic conditions during the early life period affect health or human capital in older age. |
| Date: | 2025–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:25/814 |
| By: | Shaheen, Susan; Wolfe, Brooke; Cohen, Adam |
| Abstract: | Bike lending offers a service that enables individuals to borrow bicycles for short-term use (i.e., ranging from 2 hours to 36 months), typically from designated locations within cities, campuses, or communities. Unlike bikesharing systems that typically rely on automated kiosks and/or undocked and free-floating devices for public access, bike lending involves a managed program with staff, similar to a library model. These programs can be administered by community organizations, bike shops, public libraries, and other local entities. They are typically community- or membership-based, with many programs associated with non-profit organizations or publicly owned and operated. In this paper, we investigate bike lending in the United States and Canada as of Spring 2024, including a literature review, the identification and characterization of bike lending programs (n = 55), expert interviews (n = 24), a survey of bike lending operators (n = 31), and 2 focus groups with a total of 12 participants. Insights from expert interviews and operator surveys highlight the experiences of professionals involved in bike lending. The focus groups capture the experiences of bike lending users. This paper finds that North American bike lending is often tailored to the specific needs of communities, such as youth, low-income individuals, and the general population. More sustained funding could support program expansion and diversify bike offerings. Enhancing cycling infrastructure, such as adding dedicated bike lanes and paths, could improve overall cycling safety and increase participation in bike lending programs. This study’s findings could help strengthen existing bike lending programs, guide the development of new initiatives and supportive policies, and enhance safe bicycle use for participants. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Date: | 2025–11–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt3vz0g3qh |
| By: | Fausto Galli (Department of Economics and Statistics - University of Salerno - Italy and CELPE); Daniel Santiago Quinones Roa (Department of Economics, University of Cyprus); Giuseppe Russo (Department of Economics and Statistics - University of Salerno - Italy and CELPE); Ruzica Savcic (Department of Economics, University of Cyprus) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the evolution of ethnic identity among immigrants in Germany. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), the study applies transition-based models to estimate the probabilities of moving between four identity types defined by Berry (1997): integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. The results reveal substantial persistence in ethnic identity, particularly for integrated and separated migrants, and show that identity trajectories became more entrenched after 2015. |
| JEL: | J15 J61 C33 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sal:celpdp:021914 |
| By: | Akhundjanov, Sherzod B.; Jakus, Paul M. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Public Economics |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343710 |
| By: | Yörük, Baris (University at Albany, SUNY); Oxley, Jonathan (Georgia State University); Harrison, Teresa (Drexel University) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we examine specifically how the presence of corporate firms is associated with nonprofit, charitable activity in US metropolitan areas. We find evidence of a positive association consistent with Card, Hallock, and Moretti (2010) and, due to a longer time horizon with additional information on nonprofit activity, are able to provide additional investigation into how firm location affects size of the nonprofit sector and other nonprofit activities such as fundraising. Our estimates suggest a lower bound on the spillovers such that the presence of an additional firm headquarters within a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) leads to a $8.2 million increase in total charitable contributions within the same MSA. Moreover, a $1 billion rise in the aggregate market value of firms within an MSA corresponds to a $0.8 million increase in local charitable donations. |
| Keywords: | nonprofit organizations, corporate headquarters, charitable giving |
| JEL: | L30 D22 H10 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18330 |
| By: | Bernd Bonfert (Aarhus University [Aarhus]); Helle Ørsted Nielsen (Aarhus University [Aarhus]); Anders Branth Pedersen (Aarhus University [Aarhus]) |
| Abstract: | Strategies for transforming capitalist economies often struggle with scaling up more socially just and ecologically sustainable alternatives. To avoid being stuck in a "local trap", many prefigurative initiatives form larger networks and coalitions. Agroecological practices, such as community-supported agriculture (CSA), have been especially expansive in recent years. However, since most scholarship on the growing CSA networks focuses primarily on their development and positive achievements, we learn little about their encountered challenges and their strategies for overcoming them. This article therefore investigates the causes and extent of "network failure", including barriers to collaboration and potential responses, among CSA networks in the UK and Germany. It draws on qualitative case studies, based on interviews, observation and document analysis. The article finds that CSA networks operate well at national and local level, but have experienced relative network failure at regional level, and encounter regular barriers to collaboration due to capacity limitations, differences and competition between members, all of which they are trying to address. |
| Keywords: | Green cities, Experimental governance, Local governance, Energy communities, Energy transition, Renewable energy |
| Date: | 2024–07–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05394859 |
| By: | Giorgio Chiovelli; Stelios Michalopoulos; Elias Papaioannou; Tanner Regan |
| Abstract: | Satellite images of nighttime lights are commonly used to proxy local economic conditions. Despite their popularity, there are concerns about how accurately they capture local development in different settings and scales. We compile an annual series of comparable nighttime lights globally from 1992 to 2023 by applying adjustments that consider key factors affecting accuracy and comparability over time: top coding, blooming, and variations in satellite systems (DMSP and VIIRS). Applied to various low-income settings, the adjusted luminosity series outperforms the unadjusted series as a predictor of local development, particularly over time and at higher spatial resolutions. |
| Keywords: | Night Lights, Economic Development, Measurement, Africa. |
| JEL: | O1 R1 E01 I32 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2507 |
| By: | Yuriy Gorodnichenko (University of California, Berkeley); Iikka Korhonen (Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies); Elina Ribakova (Peterson Institute for International Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Russia's economy at a subnational, or "regional, " level. The analysis focuses on the regional disparities and convergence trends within Russia, driven by increased military spending and structural changes. The paper also explores the long-term implications of excessive reliance on military spending for regional development and economic efficiency. The findings suggest that there has been some convergence in regional wages and incomes during the war. However, the sustainability of this trend remains uncertain due to the misallocation of resources and the broader economic challenges facing Russia. The authors also find indirect evidence that regions with a strong military presence have experienced substantial income growth. |
| Keywords: | Russia, regional development, income, war |
| JEL: | E24 E65 F51 H72 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iie:wpaper:wp25-21 |
| By: | Hemanshu Kumar; Meeta Kumar (Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi); Rohini Somanathan (Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi) |
| Abstract: | Literacy was extremely low in colonial India - by 1931, average gross literacy was about 8%. In comparison, the princely state of Baroda stood out by achieving an average literacy rate close to 18% in the same year. The ruler of Baroda introduced a set of policies in 1906 that included compulsory education and public provision of free, primary schools. We examine the short and long-run effects of this set of policies. We do this through a comparison of areas within Baroda with regions bordering them, using a difference-in-difference framework. Since administrative boundaries changed dramatically over this period, our long-run comparisons rely on a careful mapping of boundaries. We find large effects through the colonial period and in the decades immediately following independence. These differences eventually narrowed as public good provision expanded. In 2011, sixty-four years after independence, there still remained a gap in literacy rates in areas that were historically in Baroda, and those that were outside it. |
| Keywords: | Literacy, persistence, education policy, compulsory education, colonial India, princely states, Baroda JEL codes: I21, I28, N35 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:356 |
| By: | Evans, Alecia; Sesmero, Juan Pablo |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Industrial Organization |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343956 |
| By: | Giorgio Chiovelli; Stelios Michalopoulos; Elias Papaioannou; Sandra Sequeira |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of conflict-driven displacement on human capital and occupational shifts, focusing on the Mozambican civil war (1977 - 1992), during which millions of civilians were forcibly displaced to the countryside, cities, and neighboring countries. Reconstructing the movements of the entire population during the civil war, we examine the consequences of multiple displacement trajectories within a unified framework. First, we characterize the education and sectoral employment of the universe of (non)displaced. Second, we exploit variation in displacement experiences among extended kin members during their school-going years to account for shared household characteristics. Displacement is associated with significant gains in education. Third, employing a “movers design, ” we show that minors displaced earlier to better districts experienced an increase in educational attainment. Focusing on moves during the intensification of the war and when comparing members of the same household, regional childhood exposure effects remain strong, whereas spatial sorting vanishes. Fourth, we jointly estimate place-based, spatial sorting, and uprootedness effects, showing that all forces are at play. Fifth, a small survey in Mozambique’s largest north- ern city reveals long-term effects: internally displaced report higher education than their siblings who stayed behind, but lower social capital and worse mental health relative to locals. Our findings demonstrate that displacement shocks can foster human capital accumulation, even in very low-income settings, albeit at the cost of enduring social and psychological traumas. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2508 |
| By: | Filippo Bontadini; Valentina Meliciani; Maria Savona; Ariel Wirkierman |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to quantitatively assess the propagation of supply shocks across European regions, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and diffused through Global Value Chains (GVCs). By taking advantage of the cross-country variation in policy responses to the pandemic, as well as the heterogeneity in regional productive structures, we document how downstream transmission of shocks via GVC-induced backward linkages yields differences in terms of regional resilience. By combining and adapting datasets at the NUTS2 level, classifying EU regions according to the risk of falling into a development trap, and embedding inter-regional, inter-industry indicators in a regression model estimated with a local projection method, we show that regional responses of real value added to foreign (i.e., inter-country) and domestic (i.e., intra-country yet inter- and intra-regional) shocks are far from homogeneous. The nuanced picture emerging from our findings warns against withdrawing from GVCs as an attempt to insulate from foreign shocks, as this might hamper the very forces that allow dynamic regions to withstand them. |
| Keywords: | global value chains, inter-regional connectivity, regional economic resilience, COVID-19 pandemic supply shocks, regional development trap risk |
| JEL: | C32 C67 F62 R11 R15 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12316 |
| By: | Smith, Cory B.; Kulka, Amrita |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Political Economy, Public Economics |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343859 |
| By: | Kim, Euijun; Fannin, James Matthew |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Agribusiness |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343807 |
| By: | Bell, Peter |
| Abstract: | The historic strategy of global resource imperialism, implemented by the 2013 Belt and Road Initiative from the People's Republic of China, has set a new competitive landscape for economic development worldwide, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a priority case study for the impacts of rapidly modernizing local transportation networks, energy infrastructure, and the economy. It is essential to track local attitudes towards these government programs, as in the research by Saif, Meixia, and Saleem (2023) from Dalian Jiaotong University, which provides survey results from construction industry participants in Pakistan during this ongoing massive infrastructure investment program. |
| Keywords: | Surveys, Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), Construction industry, Transnational operation management, Sustainability, Environmental impact, Economic impact, Investment, Technology transfer, Infrastructure development, Stakeholder engagement, Governance, Capacity building, Innovation |
| JEL: | C0 D2 E0 E02 E6 E65 F2 F21 F4 F6 G0 H0 H5 H54 J08 J4 K33 L5 L7 L74 L78 M5 O2 P0 Q0 Q33 R0 R58 |
| Date: | 2025–11–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:126852 |
| By: | Abi Adams (Northwestern University); Oguz Bayraktar (Department of Economics, University of Bath); Thomas H. Jørgensen (Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen); Hamish Low (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago); Alessandra Voena (Stanford University) |
| Abstract: | Joint custody following divorce is widespread, but implementation is costly when individuals live in different states and so affects interstate mobility. Migration of separated fathers has fallen significantly more than married fathers. We show the causal effect of joint custody using two strategies. First, we survey separated parents to elicit beliefs about the likelihood of interstate moves. Second, we use the staggered adoption of joint custody laws across US states, and show a reduction in actual migration of 11 percentage points for fathers. For mothers, there is no impact on mobility but suggestive evidence of beneficial labor market outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Migration; Child Custody; Divorce. |
| JEL: | D10 R23 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kud:kucebi:2516 |
| By: | Bernd Bonfert (Aarhus University [Aarhus]) |
| Abstract: | Strategies for transforming capitalist economies often struggle with scaling up more socially just and ecologically sustainable alternatives. To avoid being stuck in a "local trap", many prefigurative initiatives form larger networks and coalitions. Agroecological practices, such as community-supported agriculture (CSA), have been especially expansive in recent years. However, since most scholarship on the growing CSA networks focuses primarily on their development and positive achievements, we learn little about their encountered challenges and their strategies for overcoming them. This article therefore investigates the causes and extent of "network failure", including barriers to collaboration and potential responses, among CSA networks in the UK and Germany. It draws on qualitative case studies, based on interviews, observation and document analysis. The article finds that CSA networks operate well at national and local level, but have experienced relative network failure at regional level, and encounter regular barriers to collaboration due to capacity limitations, differences and competition between members, all of which they are trying to address. |
| Keywords: | Agroecology, Social innovation, Community-supported agriculture, Network failure, Social networks |
| Date: | 2024–03–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05394981 |
| By: | Nicholas J. Ainsworth; Aaron J. Ainsworth; Christopher Cleveland; Leah R. Clark; Quentin Brummet; Emily K. Penner; Jacob Hibel; Andrew Saultz; Michelle Spiegel; Paul Hanselman; Andrew Penner |
| Abstract: | Currently, 6.1 percent of K-12 students in the United States receive gifted education. Using education and IRS data that provide information on students and their family income, we show pronounced differences in who schools identify as gifted across the distribution of family income. Under 4 percent of students in the lowest income percentile are identified as gifted, compared with 20 percent of those in the top income percentile. Income-based differences persist after accounting for student test scores and exist across students of different sexes and racial/ethnic groups, underscoring the importance of family resources for gifted identification in schools. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-73 |
| By: | Christopher Blair (Princeton University); Benjamin Krick (Duke University); Austin L. Wright (University of Chicago) |
| Abstract: | How does refugee return shape conflict in migrants’ destination communities? We argue that conditions inducing repatriation bear critically on the consequences of return. When refugees return because of worsening conditions in host countries, they are often marginalized and destitute. In this setting, mass return risks amplifying conflict in returnee-receiving communities. We test this theory leveraging the Trump administration’s sudden re-imposition of sanctions on Iran in 2018. These “Maximum Pressure†sanctions decimated the Iranian economy and spurred mass return of Afghan refugees from Iran. Exploiting historical returnee settlement patterns and the plausibly exogenous timing of the sanctions, we estimate the causal effect of large-scale refugee repatriation on violence. We find that the returnee influx increased insurgent violence in returnees’ destination communities. We find suggestive evidence for an opportunity cost mechanism. Sanctions-induced currency depreciation reduced household incomes in returnee-receiving areas, lowering reservation wages and driving up insurgent recruitment. We also find evidence that Iran retaliated against the sanctions by escalating support for Afghan insurgent factions. While insurgent violence increased in repatriation communities, there was no effect on communal conflict. |
| Keywords: | maximum pressure sanctions; migrants; Afghanistan; Taliban; insurgent violence; economic shocks; conflict dynamics; forced displacement; sanctions policy; Iran |
| JEL: | F51 F22 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pri:esocpu:39 |
| By: | Siwar Khelifa; Jie He |
| Abstract: | This paper provides the first evidence from a developing-country setting on the long-term educational impacts of early-life exposure to a major environmental regulation. We study China's 1998 Two Control Zones policy and implement a difference-in-differences design comparing adjacent birth cohorts in targeted and non-targeted counties. We find no detectable effects of early-life exposure to the policy on long-term educational outcomes. Across a wide range of measures, including high school attendance, academic versus vocational track placement, and high-quality school attendance around age 15, as well as college entrance exam participation, exam scores, and post-secondary enrollment around age 18, the estimates are statistically indistinguishable from zero. These null results are robust across alternative specifications and hold in subgroups defined by gender and maternal education. |
| Keywords: | Education, environmental regulation, TCZ policy, early-life conditions, China |
| JEL: | I18 I24 J24 Q51 Q56 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:irn:wpaper:25-08 |
| By: | Nicholas J. Ainsworth; Christopher Cleveland; Leah R. Clark; Jacob Hibel; Quentin Brummet; Andrew Saultz; Emily K. Penner; Michelle Spiegel; Paul Y. Yoo; Juan Camilo Cristancho; Paul Hanselman; Andrew Penner |
| Abstract: | Currently, 18 percent of K-12 students in the United States receive additional supports through the identification of a disability. Socioeconomic status is viewed as central to understanding who gets identified as having a disability, yet limited large-scale evidence examines how disability identification varies for students from different income backgrounds. Using unique data linking information on Oregon students and their family income, we document pronounced income-based differences in how students are categorized for two school-based disability supports: special education services and Section 504 plans. We find that a quarter of students in the lowest income percentile receive supports through special education, compared with less than seven percent of students in the top income percentile. This pattern may partially reflect differences in underlying disability-related needs caused by poverty. However, we find the opposite pattern for 504 plans, where students in the top income percentiles are two times more likely to receive 504 plan supports. We further document substantial variation in these income-based differences by disability category, by race/ethnicity, and by grade level. Together, these patterns suggest that disability-related needs alone cannot account for the income-based differences that we observe and highlight the complex ways that income shapes the school and family processes that lead to variability in disability classification and services. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-74 |
| By: | Sarah James; Thomas B. Foster |
| Abstract: | This CES technical note provides an overview of the development of PIK Mobility Scores for the enhancement of the Census Bureau’s Person Characteristic Frame (PCF). PIK Mobility Scores are the predicted probability that a PIK observed in a given MAFID in year y will be found at the same MAFID in year y+1. These scores are developed using the enterprise Demographic Frame (Demo Frame) and use its Person-Place model to place PIKs in MAFIDs on a given reference date. To model PIK mobility, we supplement the Demo Frame by appending data from the United States Postal Service on change of address filings, the Internal Revenue Service on income, Black Knight on home ownership, the Master Address File on place characteristics, the American Community Survey on tract characteristics, the Planning Database on tract response rates, the Federal Emergency Management Agency on disaster declarations, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis on cost of living. Then, we use logistic regressions to model move probabilities and compare these scores to observed mobility outcomes. PIK Mobility Scores accurately predict whether a PIK is a mover or non-mover for more than 80% of PIKs. About 95% of PIKs predicted to be non-movers actually do not move. About half of PIKs predicted to be movers actually move. Thus, these scores are best for use cases that rely on identifying PIKs that remain in the same MAFID year-over-year, such as In-Office Enumeration. We conclude by discussing opportunities to improve future versions of these scores and related projects. |
| Keywords: | Demographic Frame, MAFX, Black Knight, ACS, IRS-1040, NCOA, Planning Database |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:tnotes:25-22 |
| By: | Karagul, Nihan |
| Abstract: | Natural disasters span political boundaries, yet their devastating impacts vary widely across political jurisdictions. I argue that this is because of the differences in political incentives to uphold regulations concerning disaster preparedness. Turkey’s 2023 earthquake provides a rare empirical window to observe the cumulative effects of otherwise hidden political incentives. Leveraging the quasi-random shock of the earthquake, I employ a spatial regression discontinuity design along municipal boundaries in the earthquake region. I treat long-term party rule as the treatment and neighborhood-level destruction as the outcome. The analysis shows that neighborhoods governed by the same municipal party for more than 25 years experienced approximately 20\% less destruction than their adjacent, politically contested counterparts. These findings translate into substantially lower exposure of hundreds of residents to known disaster risks. The results demonstrate that electoral competition without institutional brakes can deteriorate long-term policy outcomes. My paper underscores the importance of sharing accountability with technocratic oversight in policy areas requiring sustained infrastructural investment, such as disaster preparedness. |
| Date: | 2025–12–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:698w3_v1 |
| By: | Linovski, Orly |
| Abstract: | Despite calls for reform, many transit agencies rely heavily on enforcement to increase fare revenue and perceptions of safety. Both fare evasion and behaviour violations (like loitering and public intoxication) can carry heavy fines, and lead to debt collection and criminal justice system involvement. Yet, there has been limited examination of the financial and social costs of transit fines, and whether enforcement programs can achieve revenue goals. Using administrative data obtained through freedom of information requests, I document the nature and extent of transit enforcement and fines in sixteen Canadian cities. I find that transit fines are excessively punitive when compared with parking violations, with fines on average five times higher than similar parking infractions. While there may be deterrence value from enforcement, few transit fines are paid, and the costs of enforcing transit violations are likely significantly greater than revenue from payments. Given this, transit agencies should evaluate the goals, impacts, and outcomes of enforcement programs, with a full accounting of both the financial and social costs, and consideration of alternative programs. |
| Date: | 2025–12–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:stw6y_v1 |
| By: | Giorgio Chiovelli; Stelios Michalopoulos; Elias Papaioannou |
| Abstract: | Landmines affect the lives of millions in many conflict-ridden communities long after the end of hostilities. However, there is little research on the role of demining. We examine the economic consequences of landmine removal in Mozambique, the only country to transition from heavily contaminated in 1992 to mine-free in 2015. First, we present the self-assembled georeferenced catalog of areas suspected of contamination, along with a detailed record of demining operations. Second, the event-study analysis reveals a robust association between demining activities and subsequent local economic performance, reflected in luminosity. Economic activity does not pick up in the years leading up to clearance, nor does it increase when operators investigate areas mistakenly marked as contaminated in prior surveys. Third, recognizing that landmine removal reshapes transportation access, we use a market-access approach to explore direct and indirect effects. To advance on identification, we isolate changes in market access caused by removing landmines in previously considered safe areas, far from earlier nationwide surveys. Fourth, policy simulations reveal the substantial economywide dividends of clearance, but only when factoring in market-access effects, which dwarf direct productivity links. Additionally, policy counterfactuals uncover significant aggregate costs when demining does not prioritize the unblocking of transportation routes. These results offer insights into the design of demining programs in Ukraine and elsewhere, highlighting the need for centralized coordination and prioritization of areas facilitating commerce. |
| Keywords: | Africa, Development, History, Conflict, Landmines, Market Access, Transportation Infrastructure. |
| JEL: | N47 N77 O10 O55 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2506 |
| By: | Eirik E. Brandsaas |
| Abstract: | Housing is the largest asset in U.S. household portfolios, and first-time homebuyers increasingly rely on parental transfers. This paper quantifies the contribution of parental transfers to the homeownership rate of young households. I build and estimate a life-cycle overlapping generations model with housing, where adult children and parents interact without commitment. I find that parental transfers account for 13 percentage points (27%) of young households' homeownership. Transfers from wealthy parents not only help households overcome borrowing constraints, but also help sustain homeownership, mitigating the drawbacks of illiquidity. Surprisingly, policies lowering entry barriers to homeownership generally increase the reliance on parental wealth, whereas increased liquidity reduces it. Finally, I show that children of wealthy parents strategically use the illiquidity of housing as a commitment device to encourage transfers, resulting in a preference for illiquidity. |
| Keywords: | Homeownership; Parental transfers; Altruism; Life-cycle models |
| JEL: | D14 D15 E21 G51 R21 |
| Date: | 2025–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-94 |
| By: | Li, Yanning PhD; Jenn, Alan PhD |
| Abstract: | The transition to a decarbonized energy system is creating significant changes in the electricity distribution grid, particularly with the rapid uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). This study explores the equity implications of these changes by analyzing needed distribution grid upgrades across various communities in California. Utilizing real-world distribution grid data and detailed simulations of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty EV charging behavior, we assess the spatial disparities in grid resource upgrade needs and utilization. Our findings show that by 2035, with the growth in EV charging demand, high-density residential areas are expected to have a higher fraction of feeders (neighborhood electric lines and transformers) that will need an upgrade. Additionally, communities with higher CalEnviroScreen scores (indicating greater pollution and socioeconomic burdens) generally exhibit lower EV adoption rates and are expected to have a higher share of feeders that will need to be upgraded, though with less extensive upgrades on average. Despite differences in capacity upgrade needs among different communities, the costs versus benefits from the upgraded distribution grid resources is expected to be quite proportional among different communities. While the top 20% disadvantaged communities utilize grid resources less than other communities due to their lower charging demand, the infrastructure upgrade costs in these communities are also lower. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Electric vehicles, Electric vehicle charging, Electrical grids, Electric power transmission, Underserved communities, Transportation equity |
| Date: | 2025–12–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt0wc135vt |
| By: | Anand, Vaibhav; Ma, Yu-Luen; Ren, Yayuan |
| Abstract: | We develop an empirical measure of U.S. property-liability insurers’ vulnerability to catastrophe risk. Using underwriting outcomes and property damage data from 1991 to 2021, we first estimate state–line sensitivities that quantify how unexpected disaster damages translate into insured losses. Sensitivity varies widely across lines and states: homeowners and allied lines, and the Gulf and Southeastern states, show the strongest transmission. Loss ratios rise sharply in high-damage years, but decline only modestly in low-damage years. Combining sensitivities with insurers' portfolio compositions, we construct an insurer-level vulnerability metric and find that vulnerability is highly skewed. Insurers in the top quintile are roughly four times more exposed than the next group, and their vulnerability has grown by 50 percent over time. While most insurers manage catastrophe exposure through diversification, highly vulnerable insurers, typically smaller and concentrated, rely heavily on reinsurance. Our metric also reconciles prior evidence on diversification and reinsurance: while concentration lowers reinsurance demand on average, for vulnerable insurers, reinsurance usage increases with geographic concentration. |
| Date: | 2025–12–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:4c8tp_v1 |