Research Seminars in Economics at UAM

The research seminars in economics is an initiative at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. 

This series is hosted during term time by the Department of Economic Analysis: Economic Theory and Economic History.

It consists of presentations of leading national and international scholars and it is intended to be a discussion forum focused on current substantive issues and methods in any field of economics.

Upcoming seminars 

19/11/2025 at 1 pm 

John Cawley 

(Syracuse University, US)

"The Impact of Fiscal Policy to Promote Healthy Diets: Evidence from the Navajo Nation"

Abstract: One of the most comprehensive fiscal policies to improve diet was adopted by the Navajo Nation; the Healthy Diné Nation Act (HDNA) of 2014-15 consists of two parts: 1) an exemption from sales tax for healthy foods and beverages; and 2) a tax increase on unhealthy foods and beverages. Together, they create a price wedge of 7-8% between healthy and unhealthy foods. We estimate difference-in-difference models and event studies that estimate the effect of the HDNA on a variety of health conditions relating to diet and weight for newborns and mothers.  In general, we find that the HDNA had no detectable impacts on a wide variety of these outcomes. The comprehensive nature of the HDNA, as well as the prevalence of diet-related chronic disease and maternal and infant health conditions among the Navajo Nation population, make this an important contribution to the evidence base.

How to attend the seminar:

The seminar will be on-site in room Módulo 1-301 and streamed. 

To receive the seminar invitation with the streaming link, please send an email to teoriahistoriauam@gmail.com

Organisers: Jorge García Hombrados, Eugenio Zucchelli and Damian Pierri