Research

“More with Less: The Impact of Mandatory Overtime on Police Wellness and Productivity” with Katie Bollman, Matt Ross, and CarlyWill Sloan

Abstract: We investigate the impact of managing labor shortages through mandatory overtime on police officer productivity in Chicago. Using daily officer-level data, we leverage cross-sectional variation in officer assignment to overtime in a stacked difference-in-differences design. Our results suggest there was a limited downside to the mandatory overtime policy: it successfully increased average involuntary overtime hours without inducing absences and had little effect on enforcement outcomes.

“Rural Education, Nation-Building, and Ethnic Assimilation in Post-Revolutionary Mexico”

Abstract: I study the roll-out of rural education in Mexico during the 1920s and find that exposure to rural schools increased literacy rates and the adoption of Spanish in children at the expense of native languages. These effects vary by ethnic group: increases in literacy and linguistic assimilation are largest for children in communities with historically low levels of political organization. In the long run, I find that treated municipalities do not have significantly better indicators of state capacity but are less likely to support the ruling party.

“The Upstream and Downstream Effects of Chinese Competition in Mexico”

Abstract: I investigate how downstream and upstream linkages between sectors mediate the negative effects of Chinese competition on employment in Mexico. Using inter-country input-output tables, I find evidence of a negative upstream effect only in the short-run, whereas downstream exposure increases manufacturing employment. My results suggest that indirect channels did little to offset losses. To explain the indirect effects, I find that that the use of Mexican inputs in the U.S. and Mexico initially fall, with some persistence for intermediate goods with low foreign content. In contrast, the use of Chinese inputs in Mexican manufacturing increases.

“Cultivating Curiosity in Science Education: Lessons from a Teachers Training Program” with Vinay Jha, Sandeep Kumar, Santosh Kumar, Nishith Prakash and Soham Sahoo

Abstract: We evaluate a pedagogical experiment in a 2x2 randomized design targeting middle school science classes in India. By centering classrooms around student inquiry, trained teachers will increase student engagement and curiosity. The program will be benchmarked against a teacher incentive, which may increase student knowledge without affecting non-cognitive skills. Interacting these treatments will clarify whether financial incentives amplify the effects of pedagogical reform or target different types of teachers, motivating well-qualified teachers while training less-qualified teachers. JPAL Summary

“Incomplete Property Rights, Productivity, and Land Reform in Mexico”

Abstract: I analyze the impact of the largest wave of land redistribution in Mexico on agricultural productivity. Leveraging newly digitized agricultural census data, I compare production changes from 1930 to 1950 between municipalities with higher and lower rates of land reform during the 1930s. Preliminary findings suggest this policy led to a reduction agricultural production through a reduction in average plot size.