132 research outputs found
The Power of Hydroelectric Dams: Agglomeration Spillovers
No full textHow much of the geographic clustering of economic activity is attributable to agglomeration spillovers as opposed to natural advantages? I present evidence on this question using data on the long-run effects of large scale hydroelectric dams built in the U.S. over the 20th century, obtained through a unique comparison between counties with or without dams but with similar hydropower potential. Until mid-century, the availability of cheap local power from hydroelectric dams conveyed an important advantage that attracted industry and population. By the 1950s, however, these advantages were attenuated by improvements in the efficiency of thermal power generation and the advent of high tension transmission lines. Using a novel combination of synthetic control methods and event-study techniques, I show that, on average, dams built before 1950 had substantial short run effects on local population and employment growth, whereas those built after 1950 had no such effects. Moreover, the impact of pre-1950 dams persisted and continued to grow after the advantages of cheap local hydroelectricity were attenuated, suggesting the presence of important agglomeration spillovers. Over a 50 year horizon, I estimate that at least one half of the long run effect of pre-1950 dams is due to spillovers. The estimated short and long run effects are highly robust to alternative procedures for selecting synthetic controls, to controls for confounding factors such as proximity to transportation networks, and to alternative sample restrictions, such as dropping dams built by the Tennessee Valley Authority or removing control counties with environmental regulations. I also find small local agglomeration effects from smaller dam projects, and small spillovers to nearby locations from large dams
Eseje o energetické ekonomii: Spotřeba energie v domácnostech v Gruzii
No full textTato disertační práce se zabývá spotřebou elektrické energie v domácnostech v Gruzii, kde je zaveden jedinečný systém blokových tarifů (IBT) pro spotřebu menší než 101 kWh, vyšší než 101 kWh a vyšší než 301 kWh měsíčně. Na rozdíl od tradičních systémů IBT, kde se vyšší sazba vztahuje pouze na přírůstkovou spotřebu nad jednotlivé prahy spotřeby, v gruzínském systému je při překročení těchto prahových hodnot celá spotřeba zatížena vyšší sazbou, což vytváří výraznější penalizaci za překročení těchto prahů. První část práce analyzuje změny sazeb tarifů v období 2012-2019 na celostátní úrovni. Studie vychází z údajů získaných ze šetření rodinných účtů prováděných Gruzínským statistickým úřadem. Za použití metody rozdílů v rozdílech bylo zjištěno, že spotřeba elektrické energie se zvýšila v případě snížení tarifů a naopak poklesla při jejich zvýšení, což implikuje cenovou elasticitu poptávky. Druhá část práce zkoumá dopady politiky COVID-19 v oblasti elektrické energie, kterou gruzínská vláda zavedla v roce 2020. Tato politika poskytovala domácnostem bezplatnou elektrickou energii, pokud měsíční spotřeba během vybraných měsíců nepřekročila 200 kWh. Analýza údajů z odečtů elektroměrů v regionech mimo Tbilisi ukázala, že domácnosti zvýšily svou spotřebu během této politiky přibližně o 5 % nad běžnou...Institut ekonomických studiíInstitute of Economic StudiesFakulta sociálních vědFaculty of Social Science
Essays on Energy Economics: Residential Energy Consumption in the Republic of Georgia
No full textTato disertační práce se zabývá spotřebou elektrické energie v domácnostech v Gruzii, kde je zaveden jedinečný systém blokových tarifů (IBT) pro spotřebu menší než 101 kWh, vyšší než 101 kWh a vyšší než 301 kWh měsíčně. Na rozdíl od tradičních systémů IBT, kde se vyšší sazba vztahuje pouze na přírůstkovou spotřebu nad jednotlivé prahy spotřeby, v gruzínském systému je při překročení těchto prahových hodnot celá spotřeba zatížena vyšší sazbou, což vytváří výraznější penalizaci za překročení těchto prahů. První část práce analyzuje změny sazeb tarifů v období 2012-2019 na celostátní úrovni. Studie vychází z údajů získaných ze šetření rodinných účtů prováděných Gruzínským statistickým úřadem. Za použití metody rozdílů v rozdílech bylo zjištěno, že spotřeba elektrické energie se zvýšila v případě snížení tarifů a naopak poklesla při jejich zvýšení, což implikuje cenovou elasticitu poptávky. Druhá část práce zkoumá dopady politiky COVID-19 v oblasti elektrické energie, kterou gruzínská vláda zavedla v roce 2020. Tato politika poskytovala domácnostem bezplatnou elektrickou energii, pokud měsíční spotřeba během vybraných měsíců nepřekročila 200 kWh. Analýza údajů z odečtů elektroměrů v regionech mimo Tbilisi ukázala, že domácnosti zvýšily svou spotřebu během této politiky přibližně o 5 % nad běžnou..
Short- and Long-Run Impacts of Rural Electrification: Evidence from the Historical Rollout of the U.S. Power Grid
No full textElectrification among American farm households increased from less than 10 percent to nearly 100 percent over a three decade span, 1930{1960. We exploit the historical rollout of the U.S. power grid to study the short- and long-run impacts of rural electrification on local economies. In the short run, rural electrification led to increases in agricultural employment, rural farm population, and rural property values, but there was little impact on the local non-agriculture economy. Benefits exceeded historical costs, even in rural areas with low population density. As for the long run, rural counties that gained early access to electricity experienced increased economic growth that persisted for decades after the country was fully electrified. In remote rural areas, local development was driven by a long-run expansion in the agricultural sector, while in rural counties near metropolitan areas, long-run population growth coincided with increases in housing costs and decreases in agricultural employment. This last result suggests that rural electrification stimulated suburban expansion
Timing Matters: Shifting Economic Activity and Intra-Day Variation in Ambient Ozone Concentrations
No full textGround-level ozone has been shown to have significant health consequences from short-term exposure, and as such has been regulated in the U.S. since the 1970s by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ozone is not emitted directly; instead formation occurs due to a complex, Leontief-like combination of air pollutants and sunlight that results in high levels mid-day and low levels at night. Despite this known relationship, EPA regulations only consider the total emissions of ozone precursors and not when these emissions occur. Using hourly data on ambient ozone from 1980-2017 near the U.S. time zone borders, we provide evidence that the 1-hour time difference on either side of a border leads to a nontrivial change in ozone levels over the course of the day. We then examine a cap-and-trade program targeting ozone precursor emissions – the NOx Budget Program – finding that while it reduced ozone overall it did not have an economically significant effect on shifting when these emissions occurred. We conclude by outlining a possible policy solution to account for the time value of reductions in precursor emissions
Health Shocks under Hospital Capacity Constraint: Evidence from Air Pollution in Sao Paulo, Brazil
No full textWhen a health shock hits a location, the healthcare infrastructure needs to be adjusted to meet the increased demand. This may be a challenge in developing countries because of limited hospital capacity. In this study, we examine the consequences of health shocks induced by air pollution in a megacity in the developing world: Sao Paulo, Brazil. Using daily data from 2015-2017, and an instrumental variable approach based on wind speed, we provide evidence that exposure to particulate matter (PM10) causes an increase in pediatric hospitalizations for respiratory diseases, which in turn leads to a decrease in hospital admissions for elective care – phimosis surgery and epilepsy-related procedures such as video-EEG (electroencephalograph) monitoring. Importantly, emergency procedures such as appendectomy and bone fracture repair are not affected. While strained Sao Paulo hospitals seem to absorb the increased demand induced by poor air quality, our results imply that the common practice of using health outcomes unrelated to pollution as "placebo tests" in studies on the effects of air pollution might be inadequate in settings with limited healthcare infrastructure. This is often the case in developing countries, where severe pollution is also ubiquitous, but also happens in deprived areas in the developed world
Canary in a Coal Mine: Infant Mortality, Property Values, and Tradeoffs Associated with Mid-20th Century Air Pollution
No full textPollution is a common byproduct of economic activity. Although policymakers should account for both the benefits and the negative externalities of polluting activities, it is difficult to identify those who are harmed and those who benefit from them. To overcome this challenge, our paper uses a novel dataset on the mid-20th century expansion of the U.S. power grid to study the costs and the benefits of coal-fired electricity generation. The empirical analysis exploits the timing of coal-fired power plant openings and annual variation in plant-level coal consumption from 1938 to 1962, when emissions were virtually unregulated. Pollution from the burning of coal for electricity generation is shown to have quantitatively important and nonlinear effects on county-level infant mortality rates. By 1962, it was responsible for 3,500 infant deaths per year, over one death per thousand live births. These effects are even larger at lower levels of coal consumption. We also find evidence of clear tradeoffs associated with coal-fired electricity generation. For counties with low access to electricity in the baseline, increases in local power plant coal consumption reduced infant mortality and increased housing values and rental prices. For counties with near universal access to electricity in the baseline, increases in coal consumption by power plants led to higher infant mortality rates, and lower housing values and rental prices. These results highlight the importance of considering both the costs and benefits of polluting activities, and suggest that demand for policy intervention may emerge only when the negative externalities are significantly larger than the perceived benefits
Air Pollution In Mid-20Th Century United States: Effects On Infant Mortality And Property Values
No full textBridging the Gap: Mismatch Effects and Catch-up Dynamics in a Brazilian College Affirmative Action
No full textAffirmative action in higher education can lead to mismatch, where students admitted through preferential treatment struggle academically due to inadequate preparation before college. Although some students may face initial challenges, by providing access to quality education for talented individuals who might have otherwise been overlooked due to systemic disadvantages, these programs may enable students to bridge the gap and catch up to their peers. In this study, we examine the effects of a quota-type affirmative action policy on gaps in college outcomes between potential beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Using comprehensive administrative data from a leading Brazilian university which implemented affirmative action in 2005, we find that compared to their non-quota peers, potential quota beneficiaries are less likely to progress smoothly through college and less likely to graduate, a result that is mostly driven by those who would not be admitted to the university otherwise. Notably, however, most of these differences shrink as the students progress through college, suggesting a catch-up effect between those groups. While potential quota students initially face challenges, resulting in a reduced course load in their early college years, they compensate by taking more credits in later years to ultimately graduate
- …
