A key input to quantitative evaluations of transport infrastructure projects is their impact on transport costs. We propose a new method of estimating this impact relying on widely accessible customs data: by using the route choice of exporters. We combine our method with a spatial equilibrium...

This paper contributes to the literature by identifying the causal effect of firm investment on exporting behavior. The identification hinges on regional variations in the 2004 value-added tax pilot reform in China, which generated positive investment shocks. The instrumental variable estimation...

In the modern economy, entrepreneurship is associated with individuals’ tendency to invest in risky projects. We conjecture that societies with a historical background in sea fishing are more likely than other societies to exhibit risk-taking behaviors in modern times, as the earliest sea...

This paper investigates how exports respond to trade protection by studying the U.S.-China trade war in 2018. Using monthly customs data in China from January 2017 to May 2019, we find that the launch of the trade war against Chinese exports by the U.S., on average, reduces Chinese total exports...

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the federal government’s largest cash assistance program for working families. This research aims to understand the extent to which the EITC affects black and white households differently. The empirical analysis shows that after the EITC expansion, single...

The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused school closures in most countries, affecting over 90% of the world’s student population. School closures can widen learning inequalities and disproportionately hurt vulnerable students. We collected data on the exam scores of...