PUBLISHED (OR FORTHCOMING)
The Long-Term Economic Impact of In Utero and Postnatal Exposure to Malaria
Forthcoming in the Journal of Human Resources (2010).
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I use an instrumental-variables identification strategy and historical data from the United States to estimate the long-term economic impact of in utero and postnatal exposure to malaria. My research design matches adults in the 1960 Decennial Census to the malaria death rate in their respective state and year of birth. To address potential omitted-variables bias and measurement-error bias, I use variation in "malaria-ideal" temperatures to instrument for malaria exposure. My estimates indicate that in utero and postnatal exposure to malaria led to considerably lower levels of educational attainment and higher rates of poverty later in life.
WORKING PAPERS
Climate Change, Humidity, and Mortality in the United States
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This paper estimates the effects of temperature and humidity on mortality rates in the United States (c. 1968-2002) in order to provide insight into the potential health impacts of climate change. I find that humidity, like temperature, is an important determinant of mortality. Coupled with Hadley CM3 climate-change predictions, my estimates imply that mortality rates are likely to increase by approximately 0.9 percent by the end of the 21st century, with Southern states incurring the largest burden. Although small on the aggregate, the bias from omitting humidity has important implications for evaluating the distributional impacts of climate change on health.
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
The Economics of Malaria and Malaria Eradication in the United States
with Price Fishback and Shawn Kantor
The Effects of Exposure to Bad Weather at Birth: A Kenyan Case Study
Hangovers and Morning Sickness: the Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Fetal Health
with Marianne Page