Consistent estimates of the effect of ethnic identity on labor market outcomes is complicated by the endogenous relationship between performance on the labor market and attitudes towards ethnic identity. This paper uses measures of genetic and linguistic distance between an immigrants' home and...

We exploit the timing of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the geographical variation in mortality risks individuals faced across states to analyze reproduction decisions. The results of a difference-in-differences approach show evidence that fertility increased in states that are geographically...

We study the effects of economic shocks on civil conflict at the subnational level using a panel data set of 5,689 administrative regions from 53 African countries with yearly observations from 1992 to 2010. We find that economic shocks, measured by nighttime light intensity and instrumented by...

Although water portfolios have been proposed as a solution to water management under risk and uncertainty, the optimal mix of natural and manufactured sources of water remains largely unexplored. We develop a dynamic portfolio model of urban water supply that hedges against the supply risks from...

Ecological rehabilitation is subject to a variety of risks affecting the likely return on investment. We propose a real options approach to valuing and ranking individual rehabilitation projects, accounting for irreversible investment and the effects of climate change on species loss, future...

The system of prior appropriation in the Western Unites States prioritizes property rights for water based on the establishment of beneficial use, creating a hierarchy where rights initiated first are more secure. I estimate the demand for security in water rights through their capitalization in...

This paper combines unique experimental and survey data to examine the determinants of self-selection into a training program. Women residing in selected disadvantaged areas in New Delhi, India were invited to apply for a six-month long subsidized training program in stitching and tailoring. A...

We examine the extent to which individual donors are warm glow or altruistic givers and whether this distinction motivates giving decisions, particularly paternalism. Results from our experiment suggest that motivations for giving are heterogeneous, ranging from pure altruism to impure altruism...