Conference Agenda

This paper examines the impact of work from home (WFH) arrangements on PM2.5 exposure, leveraging Covid-19 lockdown restrictions as a natural experiment. Drawing on pollution data with a remarkably high level of resolution in France, it demonstrates for the first time that WFH can lead to a rise in exposure to particulate pollution. Our estimates imply an elasticity of PM2.5 concentration of 1.9 with respect to WFH. Notably, this undocumented trend is observed during both lockdown periods, in early spring and late fall, and remains robust across various identification strategies and model specifications. This environmental externality should be a crucial aspect of policy discussions related to work from home.

Natural air pollution from dust precipitation events is an almost global phenomenon,

which is becoming increasingly important due to climate change. Our paper presents

the first causal estimates on the impacts of particulate matter concentrations on work-

place safety originating from dust precipitation events. We use administrative data

on the universe of work accidents reported in Spain. The counts of accidents on the

municipality-by-date level are matched to information about the intensity of local dust

precipitation episodes and weather conditions. Our estimates imply that an average

day of dust precipitation induces a 0.4 percent increase in weekly work accidents. Dust

precipitation’s impact is mostly pervasive across economic activity, income, workers

demographics, and severity of the accident.

This study investigates the causal impact of electing leaders with criminal records on PM2.5 air pollution in India. Utilizing data from 2008-2018 across Indian constituencies and employing a Regression Discontinuity Design, the paper reveals significant correlations between such political choices and air pollution levels. These findings offer new insights into the intersection of political dynamics and environmental policy, with substantial implications for environmental governance and public health.

Poor air quality negatively affects workers' health and cognitive functions, but we know little about the countrywide consequences for firms. In this paper, we estimate the causal effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure on firms' monthly sales using unique employer-employee data and granular measures of air pollution in France from 2009 to 2015. We exploit variation in air pollution induced by changes in monthly wind directions at the postcode level. We find that a 10\% increase in monthly PM2.5 exposure decreases sales in the following month by 0.28 percent in manufacturing, by 0.25 percent in construction, by 0.31 percent in business-to-business trade, by 0.68 percent in food retail and supermarkets, and by 0.92 percent in other consumer retail and services. Sales losses are an order of magnitude larger than what we would expect if workers' absenteeism was the only factor affecting firms' performance. This suggests a potentially large effect of pollution on the productivity of non-absent workers and on the local demand.