Research & GRANTS

Publications

Ayesh, Abubakr (2023). Burned Agricultural Biomass, Air Pollution and Crime.  Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

Ayesh, Abubakr (2023). Mass Involuntary Migration and Educational Attainment. World Development.

Working Papers

Lemon Technologies and Farmer Learning: Discerning Bt Genetic Efficacy in the Face of Adulterated Seed and Resistant Pests. (with Scott Swinton), Submitted.

Grants

 SSHRC (Canada). “Firewood and Deforestation: A Study of the Clean Cookstove Sector and the Effect of Clean Cookstoves on Forests." Co-Applicant. Amount: $74,722 (CAD). 2023-25.

Works in Progress

Schools as a Colonial Institution and Indigenous Well-Being. [Slides from Preliminary Analysis]

Data Collection/Preliminary Analysis Stage:

In this paper, I investigate the impact of schools established for Indigenous children on the economic well-being of Indigenous communities in Canada during the early 20th Century. This paper combines newly digitized data on school attendance, population distribution and economic activities -from Canada's former Department of Indian Affair's reports- with spatial data on school locations, locations of modern reserves and historical population data; and uses an instrumental variable approach to identify the effect of attendance at Indigenous schools on the economic well-being of on-reserve Indigenous communities in the early 20th Century.

Does a Communist Insurgency Affect Long Run Land Ownership in the Agricultural Sector. (with Eduardo Nakasone)

Preliminary Analysis Stage:

Using a Regression Discontinuity, this paper looks at the long term impact of Peruvian Civil War, led by Shining Path, on  agricultural land holding size in Peru. We use Data from the Peruvian Agricultural Census and combine it with data on violence from Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We identify adjacent districts across departments such that the Shining Path was present in only one of the two districts and use a spatial RD for identification estimation.

Clean Cookstove Initiatives in Developing Countries and Vegetation Cover. (with Colette Salemi and Sebastian Anti)

Data Collection Stage:

This paper studies the impact of a large-scale clean cookstove intervention on deforestation and vegetation cover in Rwanda. We combine data from (a) bespoke maps on vegetation cover, disaggregated by different ecological zones, created for this project; and (b) village-level data on the universe of all cokstoves distributed in Rwanda. Given the implementation of the distribution program was in stages, we employ the staggered differences-in-differences approach for identification and estimation of the causal impact. 

Characteristics of the Clean Cookstove Sector in the Developing Countries. (with Colette Salemi, Dennis Saerbeck, Ellie Chen and Samuel Shipley)

Data Collection Stage:

This paper builds a novel dataset on the universe of all initiatives that distribute improved cookstoves in developing countries. This project-country level information includes details on any carbon credits claimed for financing these projects, the estimation methodology used for claimed carbon credits, the details of the distribution process, and the number of households reached.

Revisiting the Long-Term Mental Health Effects of Attending a Residential School. (with Donn. Feir and Anke Kessler)