Research

Job Market Paper


What are the societal consequences of decriminalizing heroin, meth, cocaine, and cannabis? In this paper, I investigate the effects of Portugal's 2001 drug decriminalization reform on crime and public health. I evaluate the success of the policy by estimating a difference-in-differences model, exploiting the timing of the reform and the share of retornados hailing from drug-producing countries Angola and Mozambique. The retornados were around 500,000 migrants who returned to Portugal from its former colonies in the 1970s, laying the foundations of the Portuguese drug market. Results show a reduction in theft and burglary rates due to drug decriminalization, while drug-related hospital admission rates remained unaffected. These results can be explained by improved access to formal employment and enhanced mental health treatment for drug users after decriminalization. The findings highlight the success of the policy in decreasing crime without driving up drug use. 


Work in Progress


Can the effects of colonial missionary activities still be detected in present-day outcomes? This study investigates the long-term impacts of Catholic missions in colonial Mexico on development, focusing on the differential effects of Mendicant and Jesuit orders established between the 16th and 18th centuries. Using an instrumental variable approach, I exploit the historical placement of these missions to identify their causal effects on contemporary poverty and social inequality outcomes. Mendicant missions, which focused on educating the indigenous population and reducing inequality, led to sustained gains across the entire income distribution and significant reductions in extreme poverty. In contrast, Jesuit missions, which targeted educating the colonial elite, contributed to increased per capita income in the non-poor segment of the population but also heightened inequality, as evidenced by a higher Gini coefficient. Furthermore, the results suggest that agrarian reform in the first half of the twentieth century may have been a key mechanism explaining the positive economic outcomes associated with the Mendicant orders. These findings highlight the long-term impact of colonial religious institutions on economic development and social inequality in Mexico.



This study investigates how updating climate change beliefs impacts behavioral outcomes and conflict anticipation in rural Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has experienced increased conflict due to climate change. It disrupts the natural timing of nomadic herders’ movements and leads them to move their cattle onto farmers’ lands before the harvest season ends, altering what would otherwise be a mutually beneficial interaction (McGuirk and Nunn,2020). Using an information provision experiment, we update individuals' beliefs about climate change and evaluate its effects on community attitudes and the perceived likelihood of conflicts emerging. Our analysis explores how these effects are moderated by social vulnerability and pre-existing adherence to environmental norms. By examining the interaction between updated climate change perceptions and local social hierarchies, we provide insights into the broader determinants of conflict and cooperation in resource-scarce environments. This research contributes to understanding the role of information in shaping responses to climate change and conflict dynamics in rural settings.