Publications
”Childhood Migration and Education: Evidence from Indonesia” (2024, Journal of Development Economics)
Abstract. Millions of families migrate every year in search of better opportunities. Whether these opportunities materialize for the children brought with them depends on the quality of the destination that their parents selected. Exploiting variation in the age of migration, I analyze the impact of destination quality on the educational outcomes of childhood internal migrants in Indonesia. Using Population Census microdata from 2000 and 2010, I show that children who spend more time growing up in districts characterized by higher average educational attainment among permanent residents tend to exhibit greater probabilities of completing primary and secondary schooling. Moreover, educational outcomes of migrants converge with those of permanent residents at an average rate of 1.7 to 2.2 percent annually, with children from less educated households benefiting more from additional exposure. My findings suggest substantial heterogeneity of returns to childhood migration with respect to destination.
Working Papers
”Hiring and the Dynamics of the Gender Gap” (with Hannah Illing and Linh Tô) Draft
Abstract. We investigate how the same hiring opportunity leads to different labor market outcomes for male and female full-time workers. Using administrative data from Germany spanning 1981 to 2016, we analyze firms’ wage-setting behavior in response to exogenous vacancies caused by sudden worker deaths. By identifying external replacement workers, we compare positions that, ex-ante, are equally likely to hire a male or female worker. Our analysis shows that female replacement workers’ starting wages are, on average, 11 log points lower than those of equally productive male counterparts. This gap is unlikely to be explained by differences in hours, within-firm adjustments, or outside options. Instead, the results suggest that firms may statistically discriminate by gender and that differences in worker bargaining play an important role. The gender hiring opportunity gap is lower in contexts where gender equality norms are stronger. These findings suggest that a significant portion of the gender wage gap originates within firms at the hiring stage, contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms behind persistent gender disparities in wages.
”Disruptive Effects of Natural Disasters: The 1906 San Francisco Fire” (New Draft Soon)
Abstract. Natural disasters are growing in frequency globally. Understanding how vulnerable populations respond to these disasters is essential for effective policy response. This paper explores the short- and long-run consequences of the 1906 San Francisco Fire, one of the largest urban fires in American history. Using linked Census records, I follow residents of San Francisco and their children from 1900 to 1940. Historical records suggest that exogenous factors such as wind and the availability of water determined where the fire stopped. I implement a spatial regression discontinuity design across the boundary of the razed area to identify the effect of the fire on those who lost their home to it. I find that in the short run, the fire displaced affected residents, forced them into lower paying occupations and out of entrepreneurship. Experiencing the disaster disrupted children’s school attendance and led to an average loss of six months of education. While most effects attenuated over time, the negative effect on business ownership persists even in 1940, 34 years after the fire. Therefore, my findings reject the hope for a “reversal of fortune” for the victims, in contrast to what is found for more recent natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina.
Listen here to the ECONtribute Wirtschaftspodcast episode about my research concerning the 1906 San Francisco Fire (in German).
This paper was awarded the "Young Author Best Paper Award" of the German Economic Association (VfS Reinhard-Selten-Preis).
Work in Progress
“Mobility and Labor Market Effects of Being Hit by a Flood Event” (with Hannah Illing, Johannes Weber, and Leonie Wicht)
Abstract. With global warming, natural disasters are expected to become more widespread, with effects that are not yet fully understood. This study explores how three major floods in Germany—occurring in 2002, 2013, and 2021—impacted workers' mobility, employment, and wages. Leveraging detailed geo-coded data on flood events combined with social-security labor market records, we track individuals whose homes or workplaces were affected by a flood. Preliminary findings reveal three key results: (i) geographic and occupational mobility among affected individuals increased, (ii) their probability of employment increased, and (iii) their wages improved, potentially driven by reconstruction subsidies and spillover benefits.
”A Silver Lining: Women and the 1918 Flu Pandemic” (with Katarina Fedorov and Pawel Janas)
"Skills, Wage Growth, and the Gender Wage Gap" (with Alden Porter)
"Beyond vows: Inequality by family structure" (with Zainab Iftikhar and Theresa Linhard)
Resting
”Economic Development, Structural Transformation and Female Labor Force Participation: The United States” (with Robert Margo and Claudia Olivetti)
"East-West Migration: Evidence from 200 Years of Settlement in the United States" (with Samuel Bazzi, James Feigenbaum, Martin Fiszbein, and Santiago Perez)
"How Did Service in WWI Affect American GIs' Attitudes?" (with James Feigenbaum)