Publications:
Publications:
The 'Great Lockdown': Inactive Workers and Mortality by COVID-19 (with Nicola Borri, Francesco Drago and Francesco Sobbrio), Health Economics, Vol. 30(10): 2367-2382. 2021 [SSRN, medRxiv, VoxEu]
In response to the Covid-19 outbreak the Italian Government imposed an economic lockdown on March 22, 2020 and ordered the closing of all non-essential economic activities. This paper estimates the causal effects of this measure on mortality by Covid-19 and on mobility patterns. The identification of the causal effects exploits the variation in the active population across municipalities induced by the economic lockdown. The difference-in-differences empirical design compares outcomes in municipalities above and below the median variation in the share of active population before and after the lockdown within a province, also controlling for municipality-specific dynamics, daily-shocks at the provincial level and municipal unobserved characteristics. Our results show that the intensity of the economic lockdown is associated with a statistically significant reduction in mortality by Covid-19 and, in particular, for age groups between 40-64 and older (with larger and more significant effects for individuals above 50). Back of the envelope calculations indicate that 4,793 deaths were avoided, in the 26 days between April 5 to April 30, in the 3,518 municipalities which experienced a more intense lockdown. Several robustness checks corroborate our empirical findings.
Overstretched: Financial Distress and Intimate Partner Violence in the US, with Olivia Masi (submitted) [Working Paper]
This study examines the effect of financial distress within households on intimate partner violence in the United States. By leveraging the timing of bank closing days and fixed wage payment schedules, we identify months when households have to stretch their finances due to changes in their regular payment schedules. Using monthly records from the National Crime Victimization Survey, we find that these shocks increase the likelihood of women experiencing IPV. We further corroborate the assumption of worsened financial conditions during these periods by documenting changes in household behavior in terms of expenditures and time use. Using Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) data, we show that households reduce their expenditures on food and leisure during periods of financial stretch. Additionally, using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data, we find an increase in time devoted to purchases research. We also observe that spouses spend more time together, particularly with their children, during these periods.
When Women Win: Can Female Representation Decrease Gender-Based Violence?, with Veronica Frisancho and Evi Pappa [CEPR Discussion Paper, IDB Working Paper] [New draft coming!]
Every day, three women are murdered in the United States by a current or former partner. Yet policy action to prevent such violence has been limited. Previous studies have highlighted the effect of female political representation on gender-based crimes in developing countries. Using FBI data and a regression discontinuity design on mixed-gender races, we find that the election of a female House Representative leads to a short-lived decline in the prevalence of femicides in her electoral district. The drop in femicides is mainly driven by a deterrence effect that results from higher police responsiveness and effort in solving gender-related crimes.
Colluding With Your Peers: Neighbours and Selective Absenteeism in the Parliament [New draft coming!]
This paper evaluates the effect of peers on Parliamentary absenteeism. Using data from the Italian House of Representatives, I exploit the alphabetical assignment of seats adopted by the largest party in the House to evaluate how spatial proximity (i.e. being neighbours) affects joint-attendance patterns. I find that, while having no effect on average, being neighbours has significant heterogeneous effects depending on the gender-composition of couples. In particular, couples in which both members are males are more likely to alternate their presence, rather than being jointly-absent or jointly-present, when seated together. I argue that this is evidence of MPs becoming more likely to cooperate by substituting one’s vote with another’s, i.e. more likely to collude.
An Apple a Day: A Fresh Take on Curing a Nation, with Oliko Vardishvili and Nino Buliskeria
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Guns and Violence: The Role of Access, with Olivia Masi and Andrea Tizzani
Delay and Distress: How Shifts in Paydays Shape Consumption Responses, with Olivia Masi