Work In Progress

"Public Transportation and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Early 20th-Century Manhattan"

Abstract (preliminary)

Access to urban public transportation may increase job accessibility and affect the economic outcomes of residents. This paper exploits the opening of Manhattan's first subway line in 1904, and investigates whether proximity to public transportation improved the labor market outcomes of urban residents in the pre-automobile era. To address the endogeneity of subway placement, I construct an instrumental variable based on the hypothetical least-cost subway route. Using linked US Censuses, I find that male Manhattan residents living close to future subway stations in 1900 had better occupational outcomes and fewer weeks of unemployment in 1910. The observed effect is unique to male workers. The results are in part explained by decreased commuting time to the city center and a reduced likelihood of migrating away from Manhattan. 

"Firm Relocations and Worker Outcomes"