Three Essays on Development Microeconomics

Abstract

In the first chapter, I investigate the impact of faster Internet access on research production in African universities, resulting from the staggered rollout of submarine cables to 12 coastal African countries in the late 2000s. When a university gains access to the fast Internet, the number of publications produced by the researchers affiliated with that university increases by about 65 percent. Web access to existing research and improved communication between researchers appear to be the mechanisms for increased production. In the second chapter, we estimate the local economic effects of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) using a differences-in-differences strategy. Our control group consists of locations where plant construction was planned but ultimately canceled. We find that NPP construction significantly increases local employment and wages, with effects concentrated in the construction and public utilities sectors. However, these gains dissipate once construction concludes, and the plant becomes operational, as operational employment requirements are minimal. We find no significant spillover effects on neighboring towns, and commercial operations do not meaningfully impact broader labor market outcomes. In the third chapter, we examine the relationship between SSDI applications and the spread of automation technologies. Using confidential data on SSDI applications at the commuting zone level, we estimate the effect of automation exposure on application rates across age and gender groups from 2005 to 2019. Our findings suggest that SSDI application rates for the 18–64 age group decline with greater automation exposure. This effect is more pronounced in the 35–54 and 55–64 age groups.