Econometrica

Journal Of The Econometric Society

An International Society for the Advancement of Economic
Theory in its Relation to Statistics and Mathematics

Edited by: Guido W. Imbens • Print ISSN: 0012-9682 • Online ISSN: 1468-0262

Econometrica: Jul, 2024, Volume 92, Issue 4

The Unequal Effects of Pollution on Labor Supply

https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20484
p. 1063-1096

Bridget Hoffmann, Juan Pablo Rud

We use high‐frequency data on fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) at the locality level to study the effects of high pollution on daily labor supply decisions in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. We document a negative, non‐linear relationship between PM 2.5 and same‐day labor supply, with strong effects on days with extremely high pollution levels. On these days, the average worker experiences a reduction of around 7.5% of working hours. Workers partially compensate for lost hours by increasing their labor supply on days that follow high‐pollution days. We find that low‐income workers reduce their labor supply significantly less than high‐income workers. Unequal responses to high pollution along other dimensions (job quality, flexibility, gender) matter, but less than income. We provide suggestive evidence that reductions in labor supply due to high pollution are consistent with avoidance behavior.


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Supplemental Material

Supplement to "The unequal effects of pollution on labor supply"

Bridget Hoffmann and Juan Pablo Rud

This supplement contains material not found within the manuscript.

Supplement to "The unequal effects of pollution on labor supply"

Bridget Hoffmann and Juan Pablo Rud

The replication package for this paper is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11060907. The Journal checked the data and codes included in the package for their ability to reproduce the results in the paper and approved online appendices.