Abstract
This paper studies how firms’ CO2 emission intensity (CEI) responds to trade shocks. I develop a unified framework that decomposes within-firm changes in CEI into three components: shifts in (i) the product portfolio, (ii) factor-neutral physical productivity (TFPQ), and (iii) CO2-abatement technology, defined as factor-augmenting productivity that reduces emissions relative to other inputs. The framework yields firm-level, non-parametric estimates of the effects of changes in trade exposure on these productivities. Using data on German manufacturing firms between 1995 and 2008, and exploiting exogenous variation in exposure to trade integration with Eastern Europe and China, I investigate how export expansion and import competition affect CEI. Cross-sectional heterogeneity in CEI is primarily driven by abatement technology rather than TFPQ. Over time, firms become cleaner mainly through TFPQ gains and portfolio shifts, while the abatement component deteriorates, consistent with efficiency-enhancing but energy-intensive upgrades. Export expansion induces this pattern in technology, whereas stronger import competition reduces abatement, consistently with scale losses, yet reallocates production toward cleaner core products. Effects are heterogeneous across firms with different initial productivity levels.
"Local News, Fear and Democracy. Evidence from France." Co-authored with Giulia Leila Travaglini.
Abstract
France held the first round of municipal elections on 15 March 2020, at a time when Covid-19 had reached only some departments, and with varying intensity. Exploiting the exogenous temporal and geographical variation in the spread of the virus, we identify the effects of fear of Covid-19 on electoral outcomes. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we show that the number of Covid-19 cases in a department had a negative effect on turnout, even after controlling for pre-trends. In addition, we categorize the content and emotional framing of all front pages of French local newspapers in the month preceding the elections. Thanks to a shift-share instrumental strategy, we identify the effect of exposure to different framing of Covid-19 content in the local news. We also provide evidence on the role of government restrictions such as school closures in shaping perceptions of the Covid-19 threat. Finally, we study the impact of Covid-19 events on political outcomes, finding evidence of a preference shift toward platforms that emphasize the need for “strong and stable governments” or that appeal to “national solidarity.”
Presented at American Political Science Association (APSA) 2022.