Research
Childhood Roots of the Aging Brain: Evidence from Weather Shocks in Rural China Submitted
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A large literature documents how early-life conditions shape health and human capital, yet their effects in old age, where cognitive decline and depression impose large burdens, remain poorly understood. Using quasi-random variation in weather shocks across birth cohorts of rural elderly Chinese, I find that early adversity leaves two distinct marks on cognitive aging: it lowers cognitive skills at age 50 and accelerates subsequent decline. The first five years of life are a critical period for cognitive levels: individuals exposed during this window score lower on memory and numeracy after age 50. The same window also shapes mental health trajectories: depression worsens faster among exposed individuals over subsequent decades. Shocks during ages 5–15 independently accelerate numeracy decline, though schooling gains partially offset these effects.
Fertilizers, Water Quality and Perinatal Health in India
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India's substantial fertilizer consumption, a legacy of the Green Revolution, raises debates regarding its trade-offs between agricultural productivity and environmental and health concerns. Consumption of nitrate and nitrite has been linked to health issues like methemoglobinemia, a potentially fatal condition for infants. We utilize new data on agricultural practices, water pollution, and health outcomes to explore the relationship between fertilizer runoff, nitrogen concentration in water, and child mortality.
Other work in progress
Gas Flaring and Child Health in Africa
A Behavioral Model of Cooling Technology Adoption 🔬 Field experiment
Dormant papers
The Effect of High Temperature on Seniors' Cognition: Evidence from European Countries
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This study aims at investigating the effect of high temperatures on cognitive functions of individuals aged 50 and over. The empirical analysis exploits longitudinal data from the SHARE Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe which is combined with measures of daily temperature collected by ground weather stations. Our estimates are based on an individual fixed-effect strategy and show that high temperatures impede the cognitive functions. Our results reveal a stronger effect for poorer individuals, those aged over 65 years as well as those who are overweight. The poorest elderly are the more vulnerable to global warming, which impacts their working memory and fluency. This may affect their capacity to make complex decisions and, in turn, negatively affect their standard of living. Thus, our results suggest that global warming could amplify socio-economic inequalities.