Global air quality inequality over 2000-2020

Air pollution generates substantial health damages and economic costs worldwide. Pollution exposure varies greatly, both between countries and within them. However, the degree of air quality inequality and its' trajectory over time have not been quantified at a global level. Here I use economic inequality indices to measure global inequality in exposure to ambient fine particles with 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5). I find high and rising levels of global air quality inequality. The global PM2.5 Gini Index increased from 0.32 in 2000 to 0.36 in 2020, exceeding levels of income inequality in many countries. Air quality inequality is mostly driven by differences between countries and less so by variation within them, as decomposition analysis shows. A large share of people facing the highest levels of PM2.5 exposure are concentrated in only a few countries. The findings suggest that research and policy efforts that focus only on differences within countries are overlooking an important global dimension of environmental justice

Income inequality and carbon consumption: evidence from Environmental Engel curves

I investigate the relationship between income inequality and the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of consumption. I quantify the CO2 content of household expenditure using input-output analysis and estimate Environmental Engel curves (EECs) which describe the income–emissions relationship. Using EECs for the United States between 1996 and 2009, I decompose the change in CO2 over time and the distribution of emissions across households. In both cases, income is an important driver of household carbon. Finally, I describe a potential “equity-pollution dilemma”—progressive income redistribution may raise the demand for aggregate greenhouse gas emissions. I estimate that transfers raise emissions by 5.1% at the margin and by 2.3% under complete redistribution

Migrants in Germany: Separate and Unequal

Migrants of non-Western origin often live among themselves. This residential segregation is, however, not necessarily caused by a lacking will to integrate. It rather seems to a large part explainable with the socio-economic differences between population groups. The key to successful integration of migrants into the German society thus lies in the alleviation of inequalities in respect to education, income and German language skills.Segregation, Migration, Poverty

Inequality, consumer choice, and the environment

In this thesis I investigate the relationship between income inequality and the carbon content of consumption, as well as the repercussions this relationship has for policies intended to lower emissions and soften inequalities. In Chapter 1 I show that the consumer cost of carbon pricing is globally regressive, and more so across countries than within. I show this using a novel, global approach to estimating the consumer cost. On the demand side, I allow consumption to differ both between countries and across income levels within them. On the supply side, I model substitution of inputs along global value chains. I identify all model parameters from trade data. I also estimate the incidence of the EU Emissions Trading System introduced in 2005 and a hypothetical EU Border Carbon Adjustment. In Chapter 2 I show how the distribution of income may influence aggregate emissions. I quantify the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of household consumption using micro-data from the United States. I estimate Environmental Engel curves, which describe the relationship between household income and CO2. I then describe a potential “equity-pollution dilemma”—progressive income redistribution may raise aggregate emissions. I estimate that progressive transfers may raise household carbon by 5.1% at the margin, and by 2.3% under complete redistribution. In Chapter 3 I ask how the inequality-consumption relationship changes when consumers are motivated by status. I propose a model in which consumption is influenced by a reference level shaped by peer consumption. While status-seeking complicates comparative statics, I show that the sign of the inequality-consumption relationship can be predicted under certain conditions. In particular, status-seeking acts like a multiplier when the reference level is a simple mean. Concave Engel curves suggest that more inequality lowers demand for status goods, which also tend to be more carbon intensive.

Estimating the effect of air pollution on road safety using atmospheric temperature inversions

Does air quality influence road safety? We estimate the effect of increased air pollution on the number of road traffic accidents in the United Kingdom between 2009 and 2014. To address concerns of spurious correlation we exploit atmospheric temperature inversions as a source of plausibly exogenous variation in daily air pollution levels. We find an increase of 0.3 − 0.6% in the number of vehicles involved in accidents per day for each additional 1μg/m3 of PM2.5. The finding suggests that less safe roads may present a large and previously overlooked cost of air pollution. The results are robust to a number of specifications and across various sub-samples

Crime is in the air: the contemporaneous relationship between air pollution and crime

Many empirical studies have examined the various determinants of crime. However, the link between crime and air pollution has been largely overlooked. In this paper we study whether exposure to ambient air pollution affects crime using daily administrative data for London in 2004-05. For identification, we estimate models with ward fixed effects and implement two instrumental variable strategies, using atmospheric inversions and wind direction as exogenous shocks to local pollution. We find that air pollution has a positive and statistically significant impact on overall crime and on several major crime categories, including those with economic motives. Importantly, the effect also occurs at pollution levels which are well below current regulatory standards and appears to be unevenly distributed across income groups. Our results suggest that reducing air pollution in urban areas may be an effective measure to reduce crime and that air pollution forecasts can be used to improve predictive policing

Air pollution and respiratory infectious diseases

Recent research suggests that short-term exposure to air pollution is associated with an elevated prevalence of respiratory infectious disease. In this paper, we examine the relationship between the air quality index and weekly cases of COVID-19 and influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in the United States. We address potential bias from omitted variables and measurement error with an instrumental variable approach using atmospheric temperature inversions. Unlike other recent studies, we find no relationship between air quality and either COVID-19 or ILI cases

Migranten in Deutschland: soziale Unterschiede hemmen Integration

Zuwanderer aus nichtwestlichen Ländern wohnen häufig unter sich. Diese "räumliche Segregation" ist aber nicht unbedingt ein Zeichen für mangelnden Integrationswillen. Sie scheint vielmehr zu einem großen Teil erklärbar durch soziale Unterschiede zwischen einheimischen Deutschen und den verschiedenen Migrantengruppen. Der Schlüssel zur Integration der Migranten in die deutsche Gesellschaft liegt daher in der Verringerung der Ungleichheiten in Bezug auf Bildung und Einkommen.Segregation, Migration, Poverty

The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are increasingly utilized to improve mental health. Interest in the putative effects of MBPs on cognitive function is also growing. This is the first meta-analysis of objective cognitive outcomes across multiple domains from randomized MBP studies of adults. Seven databases were systematically searched to January 2020. Fifty-six unique studies (n = 2,931) were included, of which 45 (n = 2,238) were synthesized using robust variance estimation meta-analysis. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses evaluated moderators. Pooling data across cognitive domains, the summary effect size for all studies favored MBPs over comparators and was small in magnitude (g = 0.15; [0.05, 0.24]). Across subgroup analyses of individual cognitive domains/subdomains, MBPs outperformed comparators for executive function (g = 0.15; [0.02, 0.27]) and working memory outcomes (g = 0.23; [0.11, 0.36]) only. Subgroup analyses identified significant effects for studies of non-clinical samples, as well as for adults aged over 60. Across all studies, MBPs outperformed inactive, but not active comparators. Limitations include the primarily unclear within-study risk of bias (only a minority of studies were considered low risk), and that statistical constraints rendered some p-values unreliable. Together, results partially corroborate the hypothesized link between mindfulness practices and cognitive performance. This review was registered with PROSPERO [CRD42018100904]

The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

peer reviewedMindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are increasingly utilized to improve mental health. Interest in the putative effects of MBPs on cognitive function is also growing. This is the first meta-analysis of objective cognitive outcomes across multiple domains from randomized MBP studies of adults. Seven databases were systematically searched to January 2020. Fifty-six unique studies (n = 2,931) were included, of which 45 (n = 2,238) were synthesized using robust variance estimation meta-analysis. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses evaluated moderators. Pooling data across cognitive domains, the summary effect size for all studies favored MBPs over comparators and was small in magnitude (g = 0.15; [0.05, 0.24]). Across subgroup analyses of individual cognitive domains/subdomains, MBPs outperformed comparators for executive function (g = 0.15; [0.02, 0.27]) and working memory outcomes (g = 0.23; [0.11, 0.36]) only. Subgroup analyses identified significant effects for studies of non-clinical samples, as well as for adults aged over 60. Across all studies, MBPs outperformed inactive, but not active comparators. Limitations include the primarily unclear within-study risk of bias (only a minority of studies were considered low risk), and that statistical constraints rendered some p-values unreliable. Together, results partially corroborate the hypothesized link between mindfulness practices and cognitive performance. This review was registered with PROSPERO [CRD42018100904]