My JMP is called "Collateral damage: The impact of forced eradication of illicit crops on human capital" (co-authored with Daniela Horta-Sáenz).
Abstract
Coca, a plant with traditional significance in indigenous communities across the Andean countries, has also been exploited for the production of cocaine. Notably, Colombia emerged as the world's leading coca producer in 1994 and has implemented an aerial herbicide spraying program using glyphosate on illicit crops.
This policy affects households in two significant ways. First, it reduces household income. Second, it poses health risks, given that the World Health Organization (WHO) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015. Consequently, children from affected households may experience worsened educational outcomes.
We are able to georeference the coca eradication maps published by the UNODC between 2004 until 2015, and we combine it with the location of schools and rural sections to get a spatial sharp regression discontinuity design. Our research reveals that school dropout rates are significantly higher in areas where glyphosate spraying is conducted. The most pronounced impact is observed among students in pre-school and primary education. We also find that the main mechanism is the negative income shock, and surprisingly we don't find effects through the health mechanism.