Research
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journals
Di Falco, S., Doku, A., & Mahajan, A. (2020). Peer effects and the choice of adaptation strategies. Agricultural Economics, 51(1), 17-30.
Doku, A., and Di Falco, S. (2012) “Biofuels in developing countries: Are comparative advantages enough?” Energy Policy, 44, 101-117
Book Chapter
Doku, A., Di Falco, S., & Westerberg, V. (2023). Training, locus of control and sustainable land management in Upper West Ghana. In Behavioural Economics and the Environment (pp. 107-128). Routledge.
Working Papers
Job market paper: Challenging traditions: understanding the environment and conflict in Africa with Camila Galindo
Within African countries, while there has been significant discussion surrounding the link between climate and conflict, there is scant empirical literature determining the heterogenous effects of the environment on different conflict types. We argue that understanding differences in conflict motivators is a crucial step of empirically testing existing conflict models, and linking empirical evidence to policy. First, we discuss conflict via the Hawk-Dove framework. Next, we empirically test the effect of changing weather patterns and access to natural resources on the prevalence of conflict. Specifically, we focus on two prevalent types of conflict, which we define as conflicts of survival (i.e., pastoralist conflict) and conflicts of power (i.e., rebel conflict). We find that conflicts of survival are more sensitive to drier rainfall periods during the agricultural growing season, are more spontaneous, and have evidence that the mechanism explaining their occurrence is economic, through an agricultural channel. Conflicts of power, on the other hand, are affected by weather patterns in both agricultural and non-agricultural areas, are less spontaneous (take place after repeated drier seasons), and are more affected by access to natural resources (i.e., rental capture). Considering conflict mitigation, irrigation, a common climate adaptation method, dissipates the impact of drier periods for conflicts of survival, and has the opposite effect on conflicts of power. This further points towards the motivation for rental capture for rebel conflict, highlighting that a one-size fits-all conflict mitigation measure through climate adaptation may be unsuccessful for different types of conflict.
Natural Disasters, Political Polarization, and Support for Environmental Policy with John List and Michael Price
Concern for the environment and support for policies to promote climate resilience are becoming increasingly politicized and polarized. Combining survey and voting data with information on the location and timing of climate related disasters, we examine whether exposure to climate shocks drives polarization in the environmental attitudes of the American public and Congressional voting records. We find a strong relationship between political affiliation and environmental attitudes; left-leaning individuals are more likely to worry about climate change and attribute changes in climate to human activity than counterparts who are right-leaning. Such differences are becoming more pronounced over time and widen following exposure to climate related disasters such as tropical cyclones, wildfires, or severe storms. We observe similar patterns in the voting behavior of members of Congress. Democratic members are more likely to vote in a pro-environmental manner following a climate related disaster in their state whereas Republican members reduce support for such policies following such shocks. Interestingly, such impacts are muted when the member is running for re-election.
Economic Adversity and the Intergenerational Transmission of Personality with Salvatore Di Falco
This paper investigates the relationship between self-esteem and random negative economic shocks experienced during formative stages of the life-cycle. Combining individual data from parents and children within the same household, with rainfall variation during the growing season in Ethiopia, we find that negative shocks experienced during adolescence have a relevant negative effect on their self-esteem. Moreover, parents who experienced similar economic hardship during their adolescence also show lower self-esteem levels. We further show evidence of correlation of self-esteem across generations.
What has been driving work-to-work transitions in the emerging world? -- A cross-country study of Indonesia and South Africa with Johannes Brehm and Veronica Escudero
Little is known about the shape, prominence, and drivers of work-to-work transitions in low- and middle-income countries. This paper examines these elements in the context of South Africa and Indonesia -- two middle-income countries with similar development levels yet different labour market characteristics. We employ a comparative cross-country methodology using long-term panel data. This enables us to examine work-to-work transitions across and within age cohorts and exploit the panel structure of the data through a fixed-effects model to identify the drivers of these transitions. We find that, while the prominent transition types differ between the two countries, younger workers have higher transition rates. Moreover, we find that precarious forms of employment are persistent: individuals who start their careers at the bottom of the transition ladder (i.e., in informal work, the agriculture sector, or a low-skill occupation) are less likely to transition out of this situation. Finally, we unveil suggestive evidence that computer and socioemotional skills play a role in encouraging certain transitions in South Africa and Indonesia, respectively.
Work in Progress
Does Regret Affect Productivity and Decision Making? Evidence from Lab Experiments with Chien-Yu Lai and Camila Galindo
Beliefs and Energy Efficiency with Camila Galindo, John List, and Mike Price
Energy Beliefs and Energy Use: Evidence from Qatar with Camila Galindo, and Mike Price
Mental Health and AI with Camila Galindo and John List
Risk and Psychosocial skills with Salvatore Di Falco and Rasha Shakra
Selected Policy Reports
Westerberg, V., Doku, A., Damnyang, L. (2020) The Case for Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Economics of Land Degradation (GIZ) report, for the “Reversing Land Degradation in Africa by Scaling-up Evergreen Agriculture” project.
eftec (2014, member of the study team) Economic Valuation of Heritage: Final Report, submitted to English Heritage, September 2014. Available online:
Di Falco, S., Doku, A., and Palmer, C. (2013) “Final Report – Biofuels Scoping Review” Evidence on Demand, UK. Available online: <http://dx.doi.org/10.12774/eod_cr.june2013.di_falco>