American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Front Matter i ii http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/mac.3.1.i 10.1257/mac.3.1.i American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Do Teenagers Respond to HIV Risk Information? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya PascalineDupasUCLA 1 34 We use a randomized experiment to test whether and what information changes teenagers' sexual behavior in Kenya. Providing information on the relative risk of HIV infection by partner's age led to a 28 percent decrease in teen pregnancy, an objective proxy for the incidence of unprotected sex. Self-reported sexual behavior data suggests substitution away from older (riskier) partners and toward same-age partners. In contrast, the official abstinence-only HIV curriculum had no impact on teen pregnancy. These results suggest that teenagers are responsive to risk information, but their sexual behavior is more elastic on the intensive than on the extensive margin. (JEL D83, I12, J13, O12) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.1 10.1257/app.3.1.1 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0324_data.zip American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Transactional Sex as a Response to Risk in Western Kenya JonathanRobinsonU CA, Santa Cruz EthanYehWorld Bank 35 64 Though formal and informal sex work has long been identified as crucial for the spread of HIV/AIDS, the nature of the sex-for-money market remains poorly understood. Using a unique panel dataset constructed from 192 self-reported diaries, we find that women who engage in transactional sex substantially increase their supply of risky, better compensated sex to cope with unexpected health shocks, particularly the illness of another household member. These behavioral responses entail significant health risks for these women and their partners, and suggest that these women are unable to cope with risk through other consumption smoothing mechanisms. (JEL I12, J16, O15) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.35 10.1257/app.3.1.35 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0148_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2009-0148_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Traffic Congestion and Infant Health: Evidence from E-ZPass JanetCurrieColumbia U ReedWalkerColumbia U 65 90 We exploit the introduction of electronic toll collection, (E-ZPass), which greatly reduced both traffic congestion and vehicle emissions near highway toll plazas. We show that the introduction of E-ZPass reduced prematurity and low birth weight among mothers within 2 kilometers (km) of a toll plaza by 10.8 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively, relative to mothers 2-10 km from a toll plaza. There were no immediate changes in the characteristics of mothers or in housing prices near toll plazas that could explain these changes. The results are robust to many changes in specification and suggest that traffic congestion contributes significantly to poor health among infants. (JEL I12, J13, Q51, Q53, R41) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.65 10.1257/app.3.1.65 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0301_data.zip American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Menstruation, Sanitary Products, and School Attendance: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation EmilyOsterU Chicago RebeccaThorntonU MI 91 100 Policy-makers have cited menstruation and lack of sanitary products as barriers to girls' schooling. We evaluate these claims using a randomized evaluation of sanitary products provision to girls in Nepal. We report two findings. First, menstruation has a very small impact on school attendance. We estimate that girls miss a total of 0.4 days in a 180 day school year. Second, improved sanitary technology has no effect on reducing this (small) gap. Girls who randomly received sanitary products were no less likely to miss school during their period. We can reject (at the 1 percent level) the claim that better menstruation products close the attendance gap. (JEL I21, J13, J16, O12) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.91 10.1257/app.3.1.91 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2010-0037_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2010-0037_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article The Labor Market Returns to Cognitive and Noncognitive Ability: Evidence from the Swedish Enlistment ErikLindqvistStockholm School of Economics and IFN, Stockholm RoineVestmanInstitute for Financial Research, Stockholm 101 28 We use data from the Swedish military enlistment to assess the importance of cognitive and noncognitive ability for labor market outcomes. The measure of noncognitive ability is based on a personal interview conducted by a psychologist. We find strong evidence that men who fare poorly in the labor market—in the sense of unemployment or low annual earnings—lack noncognitive rather than cognitive ability. However, cognitive ability is a stronger predictor of wages for skilled workers and of earnings above the median. (JEL J24, J31, J45) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.101 10.1257/app.3.1.101 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0140_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2009-0140_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Minimum Wages and Firm Profitability MirkoDracaCentre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and U College London StephenMachinCentre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and IZA, Bonn JohnVan ReenenCentre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and IZA, Bonn 129 51 We study the impact of minimum wages on firm profitability, exploiting the changes induced by the introduction of a UK national minimum wage in 1999. We use pre-policy information on the distribution of wages to implement a difference-in-differences approach. Minimum wages raise wages, but also significantly reduce profitability (especially in industries with relatively high market power). This is consistent with a simple model where wage gains from minimum wages map directly into profit reductions. There is some suggestive evidence of longer run adjustment to the minimum wage through falls in net entry rates. (JEL J31, J38, L25) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.129 10.1257/app.3.1.129 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2008-0107_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2008-0107_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Are Restaurants Really Supersizing America? Michael L.AndersonU CA, Berkeley David A.MatsaNorthwestern U 152 88 While many researchers and policymakers infer from correlations between eating out and body weight that restaurants are a leading cause of obesity, a basic identification problem challenges these conclusions. We exploit the placement of Interstate Highways in rural areas to obtain exogenous variation in the effective price of restaurants and examine the impact on body mass. We find no causal link between restaurant consumption and obesity. Analysis of food-intake micro-data suggests that consumers offset calories from restaurant meals by eating less at other times. We conclude that regulation targeting restaurants is unlikely to reduce obesity but could decrease consumer welfare. (JEL I12, I18, L51, L66) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.152 10.1257/app.3.1.152 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0344_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2009-0344_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Aftershocks: The Impact of Clinic Violence on Abortion Services MireilleJacobsonRAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA HeatherRoyerU CA, Santa Barbara 189 223 Between 1973 and 2003, abortion providers in the United States were the targets of over 300 acts of extreme violence. Using unique data on attacks and on abortions, abortion providers, and births, we examine how anti-abortion violence has affected providers' decisions to perform abortions and women's decisions about whether and where to terminate a pregnancy. We find that clinic violence reduces abortion services in targeted areas. Once travel is taken into account, however, the overall effect of the violence is much smaller. (JEL I11, J13, K42) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.189 10.1257/app.3.1.189 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0364_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2009-0364_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Was There Really a Hawthorne Effect at the Hawthorne Plant? An Analysis of the Original Illumination Experiments Steven D.LevittU Chicago John A.ListU Chicago 224 38 The "Hawthorne effect" draws its name from a landmark set of studies conducted at the Hawthorne plant in the 1920s. The data from the first and most influential of these studies, the "Illumination Experiment," were never formally analyzed and were thought to have been destroyed. Our research has uncovered these data. Existing descriptions of supposedly remarkable data patterns prove to be entirely fictional. We do find more subtle manifestations of possible Hawthorne effects. We also propose a new means of testing for Hawthorne effects based on excess responsiveness to experimenter- induced variations relative to naturally occurring variation. (JEL C90, J24, J28, M12, M54, N32) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.224 10.1257/app.3.1.224 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0343_data.zip http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/app/2009-0343_app.pdf American Economic Association Nashville, TN 1945-7782 1945-7790 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics http://www.aeaweb.org/aej-applied/ 3 1 January 2011 http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=APP&volume=3&issue=1 Journal Article Caste as an Impediment to Trade SiwanAndersonU British Columbia and CIFAR, Toronto 239 63 We compare outcomes across two types of villages in rural India. Villages vary by which caste is dominant (owns the majority of land): either a low or high caste. The key finding is that income is substantially higher for low-caste households residing in villages dominated by a low caste. This seems to be due to a trade breakdown in irrigation water across caste groups. All else equal, lower caste water buyers have agricultural yields which are 45 percent higher if they reside in a village where water sellers are of the same caste compared to one where they are not. (JEL O12, O13, O17, O18, Q15, R23, Z13) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.3.1.239 10.1257/app.3.1.239 http://www.aeaweb.org/aej/app/data/2009-0289_data.zip