Working Papers

Dust to Dust: Tracing Air Pollution’s Impact on Work Accidents
with Ismael Moreno-Martinez
Draft Submitted

Presented at: 39th AIEL Conference, 24th EAERE Annual Conference, 2nd Young AERNA Day, 10th Atlantic Workshop on Energy and Environmental Economics; Early Career Workshop on the Environment, Climate Change and Disasters, 1st International Conference of the Georgian Economic Association, Microeconometrics Working Group EUI, Norges Bank, Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union
Coverage: La Fonte
Abstract This study provides causal estimates of the effect of air pollution on workplace safety using data on the universe of work accidents reported in Spain (2010-2019). We focus on a near-worldwide natural source of air pollution: mineral dust precipitation. Our estimates reveal dust precipitation marginal effects and overall burden on workplace safety are of the same order of magnitude as those of high temperatures. Impacts are widespread, spanning most worker and accident characteristics, and consistent with dust inducing human error across diverse tasks and activities. However, we find null effects for workers at the top quintile of the wage distribution.

Recruting Better Teachers? Evidence from a higher Education Reform in Chile
with Sofia Sierra Vasquez and Adriano De Falco
Draft Submitted

Presented: 8th LEER conference, 1st CESifo/ifo Junior Workshop on the Economics of Education, EALE 2023, SAEe 2023, AIEL - Padua Workshop on the Economics of Human Capital 2024, EAYE conference 2024, 6th QMUL Economics and Finance Workshop (2024), BSE Summer Forum (2024), XVI Labour Economics Meeting, IPEW 2024, 39th AIEL Conference.
Prizes: Luis Toharia Grant for young researchers in Labour Economics
Coverage: La Fonte
Abstract This paper analyzes the impact of a recruitment policy aimed at improving the quality of new teachers. The reform introduced a scholarship to incentivize the enrollment of high-achieving high school graduates in teacher training programs and imposed enrollment restrictions on low-achieving high school graduates. The screening device used to define achievement was the national standardized university entry exam. Using rich administrative data, we document that the reform was effective in improving the average test scores of new teachers, especially in public schools. To assess the impact of the reform on teacher quality, we construct teacher value-added (TVA) measures based on standardized test scores of their pupils. Our findings indicate that the reform led to a significant increase in the TVA of mathematics teachers, equivalent to 30\% of their standard deviation. However, it did not affect the average TVA of Spanish teachers. We provide evidence that this heterogeneity across subjects can be explained by differences in the predictive power of test scores on teacher quality. Finally, we show that the increase in average teacher quality cannot be explained solely by the higher presence of high-achieving teachers.

Work in Progress

Bidding for the Environment: Allocation Independence in Cap-and-Trade Systems with Marie Alder

Abstract Cap-and-trade systems are a widely used carbon pricing instrument to reach emission reduction goals. Compared to a classical Pigou tax, they may have the advantage that a government can set the cap, leaving it to the legislator to allocate the respective permits without losing cost efficiency. However, this advantage is based on the independence property given by the Coase theorem. In our paper, we examine the allocation mechanism of allowances in the EU ETS and its impact on the effectiveness of emission reductions. Our empirical analysis is based on a standard difference-in-difference (DiD) setting, based on a policy change in the allocation of free allowances between Phase III and IV of the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS). We show that the independence assumption does not hold for the manufacturing sector. Compared with sectors that receive most of their allowances for free, sectors that have to pay for their emissions reduce their emissions in response by up to 20%.

Temperature and Learning in Chile

Abstract This paper examines the impact of extreme temperatures on learning outcomes, with a particular focus on students from low-income backgrounds. Using panel data from over 1.5 million Chilean students who took a standardized university entry exam, I demonstrate that hot but also cold days are especially detrimental to academic performance. Additionally, I analyze school attendance records for the entire population of Chilean pupils to explore potential mechanisms. The findings reveal that heat significantly increases school absences, suggesting that reduced attendance may partially explain the negative effect of heat on learning outcomes. However, the adverse impact of cold days appears to operate through channels other than attendance.

Bloom and Bust: The Impact of Pollen on Workplace Safety with Ismael Moreno-Martinez and Martin Habets

Policy Work

Investment Report 2023/2024: Transforming for Competitiveness, European Investment Bank, Chapter 5


A positive trade-off: Emissions reduction and costs under Phase IV of the Emissions Trading System
with Jan Eric Hagendorn and Fotios Kalantzis
EIB Working Paper 2024/05