This paper documents the role of malaria in the diffusion of African slavery in the United States. The novel empirical evidence reveals that the introduction of malaria triggered a demand for malaria-resistant labor, which led to a massive expansion of African enslaved workers in the more malaria-infested areas. Further results document that among African slaves, more malaria-resistant individuals—i.e., those born in the most malaria-ridden regions of Africa—commanded significantly higher prices. (JEL I12, J23, J47, N31, N37, N91)
{"title":"The Side Effects of Immunity: Malaria and African Slavery in the United States","authors":"E. Esposito","doi":"10.1257/app.20190372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20190372","url":null,"abstract":"This paper documents the role of malaria in the diffusion of African slavery in the United States. The novel empirical evidence reveals that the introduction of malaria triggered a demand for malaria-resistant labor, which led to a massive expansion of African enslaved workers in the more malaria-infested areas. Further results document that among African slaves, more malaria-resistant individuals—i.e., those born in the most malaria-ridden regions of Africa—commanded significantly higher prices. (JEL I12, J23, J47, N31, N37, N91)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"os-2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87373613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We examine the health effects of the Lancashire Cotton Famine, a sharp downturn in Britain's cotton textile manufacturing regions that was induced by the US Civil War. Migration was an important response to this downturn, but as we document, migration also introduces a number of empirical challenges, which we overcome by introducing a new methodological approach. Our results indicate that the recession increased mortality among households employed in the cotton textile industry. We also document localized spillover effects on households providing nontradable services in the areas affected by the recession. (JEL E32, I12, J63, N13, N33, N63, N93)
{"title":"Recessions, Mortality, and Migration Bias: Evidence from the Lancashire Cotton Famine","authors":"V. Arthi, B. Beach, W. Hanlon","doi":"10.1257/app.20190131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20190131","url":null,"abstract":"We examine the health effects of the Lancashire Cotton Famine, a sharp downturn in Britain's cotton textile manufacturing regions that was induced by the US Civil War. Migration was an important response to this downturn, but as we document, migration also introduces a number of empirical challenges, which we overcome by introducing a new methodological approach. Our results indicate that the recession increased mortality among households employed in the cotton textile industry. We also document localized spillover effects on households providing nontradable services in the areas affected by the recession. (JEL E32, I12, J63, N13, N33, N63, N93)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78099628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper studies how political fragmentation affects government stability. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that each additional party with representation in the local parliament increases the probability that the incumbent government is unseated by 5 percentage points. The entry of an additional party affects stability by reducing the probability of a single-party majority and increasing the instability of governments when such a majority is not available. We interpret our results in light of a bargaining model of coalition formation featuring government instability. (JEL C78, D72, H70)
{"title":"Political Fragmentation and Government Stability: Evidence from Local Governments in Spain","authors":"Felipe Carozzi, Davide Cipullo, Luca Repetto","doi":"10.1257/app.20200128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200128","url":null,"abstract":"This paper studies how political fragmentation affects government stability. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that each additional party with representation in the local parliament increases the probability that the incumbent government is unseated by 5 percentage points. The entry of an additional party affects stability by reducing the probability of a single-party majority and increasing the instability of governments when such a majority is not available. We interpret our results in light of a bargaining model of coalition formation featuring government instability. (JEL C78, D72, H70)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77557711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In settings where social norms promote gender segregation, firms may find it costly to employ both men and women. These integration costs may hinder women's employment. We develop a methodology to test for the presence of fixed integration costs and estimate counterfactual women's employment at all-male firms where these costs bind. We apply our approach in Saudi Arabia and find that integration costs bind for the majority of firms. We show that Nitaqat, a gender-neutral quota program that incentivized the hiring of Saudi nationals at private sector firms, induced firms to integrate and dramatically increased Saudi women's employment. (JEL J16, J23, J71, M52, O15, Z13)
{"title":"Missing Women, Integration Costs, and Big Push Policies in the Saudi Labor Market","authors":"Conrad Miller, J. Peck, Mehmet Seflek","doi":"10.1257/app.20200220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200220","url":null,"abstract":"In settings where social norms promote gender segregation, firms may find it costly to employ both men and women. These integration costs may hinder women's employment. We develop a methodology to test for the presence of fixed integration costs and estimate counterfactual women's employment at all-male firms where these costs bind. We apply our approach in Saudi Arabia and find that integration costs bind for the majority of firms. We show that Nitaqat, a gender-neutral quota program that incentivized the hiring of Saudi nationals at private sector firms, induced firms to integrate and dramatically increased Saudi women's employment. (JEL J16, J23, J71, M52, O15, Z13)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74904127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Using data on 25 major American cities for the period 1900–1940, we explore the effects of municipal-level public health efforts that were viewed as critical in the fight against foodborne and waterborne diseases. In addition to studying interventions such as treating sewage and setting bacteriological standards for milk, which have received little attention, we provide new evidence on the effects of water filtration and chlorination, extending the work of previous scholars. Although water filtration is associated with an 11–12 percent reduction in infant mortality, none of the other interventions under study appear to have contributed to the observed mortality declines. (JEL H75, I12, I18, J13, Q18, Q51, Q53)
{"title":"Reexamining the Contribution of Public Health Efforts to the Decline in Urban Mortality","authors":"D. Anderson, K. Charles, D. Rees","doi":"10.1257/app.20190034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20190034","url":null,"abstract":"Using data on 25 major American cities for the period 1900–1940, we explore the effects of municipal-level public health efforts that were viewed as critical in the fight against foodborne and waterborne diseases. In addition to studying interventions such as treating sewage and setting bacteriological standards for milk, which have received little attention, we provide new evidence on the effects of water filtration and chlorination, extending the work of previous scholars. Although water filtration is associated with an 11–12 percent reduction in infant mortality, none of the other interventions under study appear to have contributed to the observed mortality declines. (JEL H75, I12, I18, J13, Q18, Q51, Q53)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"67 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73999340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Six percent of children in the United States enter foster care by age 18. We estimate the effects of foster care on children's outcomes by exploiting the quasi-random assignment of child welfare investigators in Michigan. We find that foster care improved children's safety and educational outcomes. Gains emerged after children exited the foster system when most were reunified with their birth parents, suggesting that improvements made by their parents were an important mechanism. These results indicate that safely reducing the use of foster care, a goal of recent federal legislation, requires more effective in-home, prevention-focused efforts. (JEL H75, I21, J13, K42)
{"title":"Temporary Stays and Persistent Gains: The Causal Effects of Foster Care","authors":"Max Gross,E. Jason Baron","doi":"10.1257/app.20200204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200204","url":null,"abstract":"Six percent of children in the United States enter foster care by age 18. We estimate the effects of foster care on children's outcomes by exploiting the quasi-random assignment of child welfare investigators in Michigan. We find that foster care improved children's safety and educational outcomes. Gains emerged after children exited the foster system when most were reunified with their birth parents, suggesting that improvements made by their parents were an important mechanism. These results indicate that safely reducing the use of foster care, a goal of recent federal legislation, requires more effective in-home, prevention-focused efforts. (JEL H75, I21, J13, K42)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"879 26","pages":"170-199"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138506289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Formative experiences shape behavior for decades. We document a striking feature about those who came of driving age during the oil crises of the 1970s—they drive less in the year 2000. The effect is not specific to these cohorts; price variation over time and across states indicates that gasoline price changes between ages 15–18 generally shift later-life travel behavior. Effects are not explained by recessions, income, or costly skill acquisition and are inconsistent with recency bias, mental plasticity, and standard habit-formation models. Instead, they likely reflect formation of preferences for driving or persistent changes in its perceived cost. (JEL D12, D91, L71, Q35, R41)
{"title":"Formative Experiences and the Price of Gasoline","authors":"Christopher Severen,Arthur A. Van Benthem","doi":"10.1257/app.20200407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200407","url":null,"abstract":"Formative experiences shape behavior for decades. We document a striking feature about those who came of driving age during the oil crises of the 1970s—they drive less in the year 2000. The effect is not specific to these cohorts; price variation over time and across states indicates that gasoline price changes between ages 15–18 generally shift later-life travel behavior. Effects are not explained by recessions, income, or costly skill acquisition and are inconsistent with recency bias, mental plasticity, and standard habit-formation models. Instead, they likely reflect formation of preferences for driving or persistent changes in its perceived cost. (JEL D12, D91, L71, Q35, R41)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"65 ","pages":"256-284"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138506334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Using a strict, age-specific lockdown order for adults aged 65 and older in Turkey, we examine the mental health consequences of an extended period of tight mobility restrictions on senior adults. Adopting a regression discontinuity design, we find that the curfew-induced decline in mobility substantially worsened mental health outcomes, including somatic and nonsomatic symptoms of mental distress (approximately 0.2 standard deviation). Exploring potential channels, we document an increase in social and physical isolation, with no evidence of robust changes in labor market outcomes or intrahousehold conflict for this subpopulation. (JEL D13, I21, I18, J14, O15)
{"title":"Mental Health Costs of Lockdowns: Evidence from Age-Specific Curfews in Turkey","authors":"Onur Altindag,Bilge Erten,Pinar Keskin","doi":"10.1257/app.20200811","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200811","url":null,"abstract":"Using a strict, age-specific lockdown order for adults aged 65 and older in Turkey, we examine the mental health consequences of an extended period of tight mobility restrictions on senior adults. Adopting a regression discontinuity design, we find that the curfew-induced decline in mobility substantially worsened mental health outcomes, including somatic and nonsomatic symptoms of mental distress (approximately 0.2 standard deviation). Exploring potential channels, we document an increase in social and physical isolation, with no evidence of robust changes in labor market outcomes or intrahousehold conflict for this subpopulation. (JEL D13, I21, I18, J14, O15)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"878 2","pages":"320-343"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138506307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This rejoinder is written in response to the comment by Cutler and Miller (hereafter CM) on our paper, “ Reexamining the Contribution of Public Health Efforts to the Decline in Urban Mortality” (Anderson, Charles, and Rees 2022a). In their comment, CM acknowledge making unambiguous data transcription errors when constructing the infant mortality rates,1 assess the sensitivity of their filtration estimates to alternative intervention dates, and defend the population denominators they used to construct total mortality rates. In this rejoinder, we focus on the third issue, the population denominators. (JEL H75, I12, I18, J13, Q18, Q51, Q53)
{"title":"Reexamining the Contribution of Public Health Efforts to the Decline in Urban Mortality: Reply","authors":"D. Anderson, K. Charles, D. Rees","doi":"10.1257/app.20210230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20210230","url":null,"abstract":"This rejoinder is written in response to the comment by Cutler and Miller (hereafter CM) on our paper, “ Reexamining the Contribution of Public Health Efforts to the Decline in Urban Mortality” (Anderson, Charles, and Rees 2022a). In their comment, CM acknowledge making unambiguous data transcription errors when constructing the infant mortality rates,1 assess the sensitivity of their filtration estimates to alternative intervention dates, and defend the population denominators they used to construct total mortality rates. In this rejoinder, we focus on the third issue, the population denominators. (JEL H75, I12, I18, J13, Q18, Q51, Q53)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78577617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Per-Anders Edin, P. Fredriksson, Martin Nybom, Björn Öckert
This paper uses administrative data from Sweden to document trends in the labor market returns to skills. Between 1992 and 2013, the economic return to noncognitive skill—a psychologist-assessed measure of teamwork and leadership skill—roughly doubled. The return to cognitive skill was relatively stable and decreased modestly during the 2000s, however. Among men with similar levels of education, the return to noncognitive skill is higher than the return to cognitive skill. The increasing return to noncognitive skill is driven by changes at the top of the wage distribution and by sorting into higher-paying occupations. (JEL I26, J24, J31)
{"title":"The Rising Return to Noncognitive Skill","authors":"Per-Anders Edin, P. Fredriksson, Martin Nybom, Björn Öckert","doi":"10.1257/app.20190199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20190199","url":null,"abstract":"This paper uses administrative data from Sweden to document trends in the labor market returns to skills. Between 1992 and 2013, the economic return to noncognitive skill—a psychologist-assessed measure of teamwork and leadership skill—roughly doubled. The return to cognitive skill was relatively stable and decreased modestly during the 2000s, however. Among men with similar levels of education, the return to noncognitive skill is higher than the return to cognitive skill. The increasing return to noncognitive skill is driven by changes at the top of the wage distribution and by sorting into higher-paying occupations. (JEL I26, J24, J31)","PeriodicalId":48212,"journal":{"name":"American Economic Journal-Applied Economics","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79057056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}