The Environment, Education, and Media: Essays in Applied Microeconomics : Essays in Applied Microeconomics

Abstract: This doctoral thesis in Economics consists of four chapters. In chapter 1, I study the economic consequences of environmental enforcement. In the Brazilian Amazon, I study how the enforcement of anti-deforestation policies affect agricultural and economic outcomes. I find that targeted law enforcement is effective in curbing deforestation, through lower conversion of forest to pasture. Instead, quality of existing farmland improves. I find some evidence that this agricultural intensification has positive spillovers to the wider local economy. In chapter 2, I investigate the impact of air pollution on cognitive performance of secondary school students in Colombia. Using air pollution data on the day that these students write a high-stakes exam, I estimate the effect of exposure to air pollution on test scores. I find that air pollution has a negative impact on student performance, and results in lower test scores. However, this distorted signal of students’ ability does not translate in differences in college attendance. In chapter 3, we analyse how exposure to biased media translates into political outcomes. More specifically, we use the expansion of Conservative Talk Radio in US in the 1950s and 1960s to estimate the electoral effects. We find that counties where local radio stations aired these conservative shows, Republican vote share went up. Finally, in chapter 4, we exploit the sudden move to online education during the Covid-19 pandemic, and link that to learning outcomes. We find no evidence that the mode of teaching had an impact on student performance.