We estimate the causal effects of acute fine particulate matter exposure on mortality, health care use, and medical costs among the US elderly using Medicare data and a novel instrument for air pollution: changes in local wind direction. We develop a new approach that uses machine learning to...

We estimate the causal effects of acute fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure on mortality and health care use among the US elderly using Medicare administrative data and a novel instrument for air pollution: changes in the local wind direction. We then develop a new methodology that uses...

The current fiscal crisis in Illinois affects all parts of the state’s budget. Infrastructure is no exception. For many years Illinois has spent more on highways than it has collected in highway-related revenue. One solution to this problem is to increase the state’s gasoline tax. This...

Illinois needs to prepare now for the coming changes associated with climate change, according to IGPA's Climate Change Policy Initiative. A new report, "Preparing for climate change in Illinois: An overview of expected impacts" (PDF), calls for a state-wide climate action plan to manage the...

This policy brief provides an overview of research on climate change and air pollution, and it discusses the implications for Illinois. The researchers first describe the effects of pollution and then look at trends in Illinois relative to the whole United States. They then describe estimates of...

Although crop insurance was not designed to impact water resources, it may have unintended consequences for water use, because agriculture and water resources are tightly linked. In particular, crop production relies on water as an input, and irrigation for crop production is the largest user of...