IZA World of Labor - Matthew Neidell

Matthew Neidell

Columbia University, USA, and IZA, Germany

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA

Research interest

Environmental economics, health economics, climate change, human capital, public health, productivity

Website

http://www.columbia.edu/~mn2191/

Past positions

Visiting Professor, Department of Economics, European University Institute, 2012–2013; Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 2004–2011

Qualifications

PhD Economics, UCLA, 2002

Selected publications

“Particulate pollution and the productivity of pear packers.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 8:3 (2016) (with T. Change, J. Graff Zivin, and T. Gross).
“Temperature and the allocation of time: Implications for climate change.” Journal of Labor Economics 32:1 (2014) (with J. Graff Zivin).
“Environment, health, and human capital.” Journal of Economic Literature 51:3 (2013) (with J. Graff Zivin).
“Water quality violations and avoidance behavior: Evidence from bottled water consumption.” American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings 101:3 (2011) (with J. Graff Zivin and W. Schlenker).
“The impact of pollution on worker productivity.” American Economic Review 102:7 (2012) (with J. Graff Zivin).

Air pollution and worker productivity

Higher levels of air pollution reduce worker productivity, even when air quality is generally low

Matthew Neidell, June 2017

Environmental regulations are typically considered to be a drag on the economy. However, improved environmental quality may actually enhance productivity by creating a healthier workforce. Evidence suggests that improvements in air quality lead to improvements in worker productivity across a range of sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and the service sectors. These effects also arise at levels of air quality that are below pollution thresholds in countries with the highest levels of environmental regulation. The findings suggest a new approach for understanding the consequences of environmental regulations.
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