Publications
The impact of minimum drinking age laws on alcohol consumption, smoking, and marijuana use revisited, 2013, Journal of Health Economics, 32, 477-479 (with B. Yörük).
The impact of drinking on psychological well-being: Evidence from minimum drinking age laws, 2012, Social Science & Medicine, 75, 1944- 1854 (with B. Yörük).
The impact of legal drinking age laws on alcohol consumption, smoking, and marijuana use: Evidence from a regression discontinuity design using exact date of birth, 2011, Journal of Health Economics, 30, 740-752 (with B. Yörük).
Submitted:
The effect of alcohol consumption on labor market outcomes of young adults: Evidence from minimum legal drinking age laws [PDF]
Abstract: This paper uses a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impact of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws on alcohol consumption and labor market outcomes of young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997 Cohort), I find that granting legal access to alcohol at age 21 leads to an increase in several measures of alcohol consumption. The discrete jump in the alcohol consumption at the MLDA has also negative spillover effects on the labor market outcomes of young adults. In particular, I document that the MLDA is associated with a 1.9 hour decrease in weekly working hours. However, the effect of the MLDA laws on wages is insignificant. These results are robust under several different parametric and non-parametric models and suggest that the policies designed to curb drinking may not only have desirable effects in reducing alcohol consumption among young adults but may also have positive spillover effects on their labor market outcomes.
The impact of minimum legal tobacco purchase age laws on smoking habits and health outcomes of young adults. [PDF]
Abstract:This paper uses a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impact of the minimum legal tobacco purchase age (MLTPA) laws on smoking and health related outcomes among young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997 Cohort) which contains information on the exact birth date of the respondents, I find that granting legal access to cigarettes and tobacco products at the MLTPA leads to an increase in several measures of smoking participation, including up to a 8 percentage point increase in the probability of smoking and a 37 percent increase in the number of days that young adults smoke cigarettes per month. I also find some evidence that the discrete jump in smoking participation at the MLTPA is associated with a significant deterioration in self reported health status. These results are robust under several alternative model specifications and indicate that policies that are designed to restrict youth access to tobacco are not only effective in reducing smoking participation but also can create public health benefits through their positive spillover effects on other smoking related outcomes.
Work in Progress:
The effect of WIC participation on the labor supply of females and the duration of maternal leave”, in progress.
Abstract: In this paper, I examine the effect of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program participation on labor supply of mothers and on the period of their maternal leave. Most of the existing literature about WIC program focuses on the effects of this program on mothers’ and infants’ health. A large number of studies suggest that WIC participation improves recipients’ health outcomes. However, little research has been done to identify whether WIC has any impact on labor supply. In order to stay under the income eligibility cutoff, which allows them to receive WIC benefits, eligible mothers may prefer to work less or take unpaid maternal leave. This paper examines the effects of WIC participation on mothers’ working hours and the duration of their maternal leave by taking advantage of within-state and over-time variation in state WIC eligibility rules to identify the causal relationship between WIC program and mothers’ labor market outcomes.
Job satisfaction of younger employees: do supervisor’s age, gender, and race matter?, 2011, in progress.