Research

Working Papers

"Trade Shocks and Child Labor: Evidence from Brazil" (with Marcos Nakaguma)

Presentations: SBE 2019 (São Paulo, Brazil), LACEA LAMES 2021 (Bogotá, Virtual), NEUDC 2021 (Boston, Virtual)

Abstract: This paper examines the medium- and long-term effects of Brazil's tariff reform in the 1990s on schooling and child labor. We exploit differences across industries in the adult and child employment composition in an empirical strategy that allows us to identify distinct effects of local economic shocks on household decisions. Relative to the national trend, we document that regions specialized in adult-specific industries experienced lower growth in schooling and higher increases in child labor, especially in paid works. Regions specialized in child-specific industries observed opposite effects. We provide evidence that these results translated into persistent effects on human capital formation and a structural transformation in employment composition.

Work in Progress

"Untitled Project on Mass Migration in Brazil" (with Marcos Nakaguma and Thales Pereira)