Research
"Revealed Preferences for Residential Traffic Calming: Evidence from Low Traffic Neighborhoods" (job market paper) | Link
Abstract: When road networks in urban areas become congested, drivers impose external costs on both other drivers and residents. Specifically, congestion imposes a time cost on all road users and can have negative welfare effects on residents. In a bid to avoid such congestion, drivers will utilize residential neighborhoods as alternative routes. However, in doing so they may induce or exacerbate disamentites in those neighborhoods, the costs of which are not borne by drivers. Policies preventing drivers from using residential streets as through-routes are gaining traction, but little is known about the willingness to pay (WTP) for such policies. In this paper, I exploit the staggered rollout of a “Low Traffic Neighborhood” (LTN) program in London to estimate the WTP for traffic reduction in residential areas using a difference-in-differences research design. I find that house prices within LTNs are 6.5% higher relative to untreated neighborhoods in the same borough post-LTN rollout. I find no evidence that this effect is driven by LTNs displacing traffic to nearby neighborhoods. I also investigate mechanisms that could be driving this effect and find that a substantial decrease in road accidents can explain at least 10% of the net effect on prices.
"Capitalization of 24-Hour Subway Service: Evidence from London’s Night Tube" (Revise & resubmit at Journal of Transportation & Economic Policy) | Link
Abstract: This paper presents the first estimation of how subway access at night is capitalized into house prices. I use the rollout of London’s Night Tube to estimate the effect of receiving nighttime service at a nearby station on the sale price of residential properties in Greater London. I find that receiving Night Tube service leads to decreases in sale prices of 2 − 3% for properties located within 0.5 or 1 mile(s) of a station, partially attenuating the preexisting Tube station premium. I also find suggestive evidence that a modest increase in crime, specifically in thefts and antisocial behavior, is a mechanism.
"Gender Diversity & Municipal Spending: Evidence from California City Councils" | Link
Abstract: Does the degree of gender diversity among political representatives affect the size and composition of public expenditures? This paper extends the existing literature by i) looking at local government councils in the U.S. and ii) exploring the heterogeneous effects of gender diversity by initial gender balance. I construct data on election results and expenditures for city councils in California over a 15-year period and implement a regression discontinuity design utilizing close elections between male and female city council candidates. I find that the marginal victory of a female candidate leads to a 2pp. (or 0.23 standard deviation) increase in the share of total spending allocated to transportation, which is driven by areas where this victory causes the council to flip from majority male to majority female. For total expenditures and other categories of spending, I find broadly null results.
"Empirical Application of Rubinstein Bargaining Model in Western Water Transactions" (With Bonnie Colby) | Published Version
"Water Trading: Adaptation, Innovations and Modeling" (With Bonnie Colby) | Published Version