{"title":"Can exports be pain relievers? The effect of exports on workplace safety and health","authors":"Ling Li, Yang Liang","doi":"10.1111/roie.12765","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the effect of exports on worker safety and health in the US. We use foreign countries' unilateral liberalization as an instrument to capture the demand shocks on US exports. Our two‐stage estimates with establishment fixed effects suggest that a $1000 increase in exports per worker decreased the workplace injury rate by a significant 0.7%, which implies an annual reduction of about 55,000 injuries among manufacturing workers. The reduction in injuries is more salient among establishments with lower injury rates, indicating an increase of inequality in working conditions. The improvement in working conditions might come from more investment in advanced equipment and better compliance with safety and health regulations.","PeriodicalId":47712,"journal":{"name":"Review of International Economics","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Review of International Economics","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/roie.12765","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study examines the effect of exports on worker safety and health in the US. We use foreign countries' unilateral liberalization as an instrument to capture the demand shocks on US exports. Our two‐stage estimates with establishment fixed effects suggest that a $1000 increase in exports per worker decreased the workplace injury rate by a significant 0.7%, which implies an annual reduction of about 55,000 injuries among manufacturing workers. The reduction in injuries is more salient among establishments with lower injury rates, indicating an increase of inequality in working conditions. The improvement in working conditions might come from more investment in advanced equipment and better compliance with safety and health regulations.
期刊介绍:
The Review of International Economics is devoted to the publication of high-quality articles on a full range of topics in international economics. The Review comprises controversial and innovative thought and detailed contributions from other directly related fields such as economic development; trade and the environment; and political economy. Whether theoretical, empirical or policy-oriented, its relevance to real world problems is of paramount concern.