Job Market Candidates in 2022/2023
Economics & Econometrics
Eleonora Brandimarti
Job Market Paper: Self-Selection, University Courses and Returns to Advanced Degrees
paper | abstract
This paper studies the returns to combinations of bachelor's and master's degrees and investigates how characteristics of the curriculum affect returns, using novel data on university programs in Italy. I contribute to the literature on returns to advanced degrees in three ways: I propose a method to causally estimate labor market returns to degrees that leverages timing of choices and exclusion restrictions to identify a large number of outcomes, I incorporate master's degrees in the discussion on how different types of higher education affect outcomes, and I provide evidence on the characteristics of curricula that are positively related to labor market returns. I find that returns to degree combinations vary substantially even for university careers with the same undergraduate degree, suggesting that both types of programs require consideration. Multidisciplinary university careers relate positively to economic outcomes, especially for graduates with a solid quantitative foundation. Quantitative courses alone do not explain higher returns.
References:
Professor Michele Pellizzari
Professor Giacomo De Giorgi
Professor Peter Arcidiacono (Duke University)
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Kyungbo Han
Job Market Paper: Long-Term Impact of Emergency Aid on Health: Evidence from the 1984 Ethiopian Famine
paper | abstract
This paper examines the long-term impact of emergency aid on health status using the Ethiopian famine in 1984 as a case study. Employing novel geospatial data on the location of relief camps, we estimate the effect of proximity to a camp on height in adulthood. We compare different birth timings (born before or after the relief operation) and different villages of birth (born close to or far from a camp), exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in accessibility to emergency aid. Access to relief operation in early childhood leads to higher stature in adulthood. Results are robust to different specifications and checks. We also find that aid beneficiaries display higher labor productivity. However, the results are sensitive to drought intensity. The more severe drought children experienced before the aid operation, the more the benefits in health and productivity fade away.
References:
Professor Salvatore Di Falco
Professor Jérémy Laurent-Lucchetti
Professor Muhammad Haseeb (University of Bristol)
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Chen Jiang
Job Market Paper: College Education and Gender Role Change: Evidence from an Affirmative Action Policy in China
paper | abstract
This study examines the impact of gaining access to college education on women’s marriage outcomes, labour market participation, consumption, and higher education attainment. We leverage exogenous variation in college education access created by a regional affirmative action policy implemented in Hubei Province, China between 2009 and 2016. Using data from the 2015 China micro-census and a difference-in-differences approach across regions and cohorts, we find that the exceptionally implemented policy led to a 3.1 percentage point increase in the probability of rural women attending college. It also led to a 3.2 percentage point decrease in the probability of rural women marrying before the age of 25 and a 2.5 percentage point increase in their probability of being employed. Finally, we document increased high school registration among women eligible for the affirmative action policy, indicating they may respond to improved access to higher education by increasing early investments in human capital.
References:
Professor Giacomo De Giorgi
Professor Frédéric Robert-Nicoud
