Polluted Job Search: The Impact of Poor Air Quality on Reservation Wages (With Steffen Künn, Juan Palacios & Nico Pestel) Link - Submitted
Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of air pollution on reservation wages. We use rich survey data on unemployed job seekers in Germany and exploit variation in individual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM10) based on the quasi-random allocation of interview slots to individuals. Our results show that an increase in PM10 by one standard deviation (corresponding to 12 μg/m3) reduces the reservation wage by approximately 1.2%. We further provide evidence that PM10 pollution decreases job seekers' search effort, risk tolerance and patience, which serve as potential mechanisms through which PM10 exposure negatively affects the reservation wage of unemployed job seekers.
Low Emission Zones and Job Search Outcomes (With Steffen Künn & Nico Pestel)
Abstract: This paper studies the impact of ambient air quality on job search outcomes of the unemployed. Reductions in air pollution may enhance job search outcomes through improved health and cognitive performance. Our identification strategy exploits the staggered implementation of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in German cities as a source of exogenous variation in local air quality. We find that the introduction of LEZs has a marginally significant negative impact on unemployment duration and wages. We further show that LEZs had no effect on the local economy, supporting our hypothesis that the effect on job search outcomes is driven by changes in air quality and not due to confounding factors.
Growing Knowledge Disparities Among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' study performance in higher education using unique data on standardized progress tests throughout the curriculum of Dutch medical students. Applying a difference-in-differences approach and an event study analysis, we show a significant decline in student test scores during the pandemic, which is driven by a decrease in the percentage of answered test questions. This suggests that the pandemic has led to a slowdown in students' knowledge acquisition and academic progress.
Pollution and Learning: A Field Experiment in High Schools (With Nils Kok, Piet Eichholtz & Juan Palacios)
In June 2025, we successfully ran a pilot study. Currently, we are preparing the field study which starts in October 2025.
The impact of temperature and humidity on the learning progress of primary school kids: the protecting role of buildings (With Elke Claes)
Currently, we are analysing the prepared dataset.
(Poor) Air Quality and Workplace Accidents (With Juan Palacios, Sefi Roth and Nikodem Szumilo)
Currently, we are at the analysis stage.