Tradition and Mortality: Evidence from Twin Infanticide in Africa

with James Fenske

2023, Journal of Development Economics

Screwworms

Abstract: I show how farmers amplify the benefits of disease control in agriculture by changing their production techniques. Specifically, I examine the eradication of the screwworm, a deadly livestock parasite, in the southwestern United States. Exploiting spatial variation in infestation, I find that livestock production increased by 60 percent in initially heavily infested counties relative to less infested ones. This increase was driven by feedlot adoption, as farmers shifted to a technology which had been unviable under disease pressure. I estimate that this adaptation accounted for more than four-fifths of the total output gain.

Tariffs and State Capacity: A Specific Example

with Erik Madsen, Martin Rotemberg, and Sharon Traiberman

Measuring the Regional Economic Cost of Brexit: Evidence up to 2019

with Thiemo Fetzer

Interactive visualization: www.brexitcost.org