Essays in environmental economics
Date
2024-05
Authors
Somuncu, Tugba
Major Professor
Advisor
Kreider, Brent
Lyn, Gary
Orazem, Peter
Jacqz, Irene
Kim, Donghyuk
Turhan, Bertan
Committee Member
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Altmetrics
Abstract
This dissertation studies distributional effects in environmental economics. The first chapter studies the labor market adjustments to new environmental regulations through the lens of gender. The theoretical model incorporates imperfect mobility and shows female workers face higher mobility costs, implying adaptation gaps when facing a new green transition. The empirical model focuses on local labor markets characterized by coal dependence and existing gender segregation. The analysis estimates the impact of the anticipation of plant closures on labor market outcomes by exploiting variation in coal-fired power plant closure announcements. Findings suggest high-educated female workers disproportionately affected by the anticipation of coal-fired power plant closures. This chapter identifies and adds the gender dimension to labor market effects of environmental regulation discussions.
The second chapter focuses on the link between economic opportunity and environmental harm. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that were developed and used for decades with little public attention and without any federal regulation, leading to persistent water contamination and suspected health effects. This chapter estimates the short- and long-run impacts of exposure to PFAS by leveraging quasi-exogenous variation in adoption by the U.S. military in the 1970s. Findings show delayed but substantial adverse effects on birthweight, college completion, and earnings. The findings provide the first long-run economic costs of exposure to a major PFAS source and are relevant for a broader understanding of the role of chemical pollution as a determinant of economic opportunity.
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Academic or Administrative Unit
Economics
Type
article