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Nico Pestel

Maastricht University, the Netherlands

IZA World of Labor is an excellent tool to communicate findings from research in labour economics to policymakers in an easily accessible way. This should enhance the implementation of better policies based on hard evidence

IZA World of Labor role

Author, Topic spokesperson

Current position

Associate Professor, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Research interest

Labor economics, public economics, environmental economics, political economics

Website

http://bit.ly/Pestel_IZApage

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Federal Environment Agency, Germany

Past positions

Senior Research Associate and Team Leader, IZA, Germany

Qualifications

PhD Economics, University of Cologne, 2013

Selected publications

  • "Minority salience and political extremism." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 13:3 (2021) 237–271 (with T. Colussi and I. Isphording).

  • "Does re-opening schools contribute to the spread of SARS-CoV-2? Evidence from staggered summer breaks in Germany." Journal of Public Economics 198 (2021) (with I. Isphording and M. Lipfert).

  • "Health effects of low emission zones: Evidence from German hospitals." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 109 (2021) (with F.Wozny).

  • "Pandemic meets pollution: Poor air quality increases deaths by COVID-19." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 108 (2021) (with I. Isphording).

  • "Productivity effects of air pollution: Evidence from professional soccer." Labour Economics 48 (2017): 54–66 (with A. Lichter and E. Sommer).

article(s)

  • Air pollution and worker productivity Updated

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

    Matthew NeidellNico Pestel, February 2023
    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 at the micro level across a range of sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and the service sectors, as well as at more aggregate macro levels. 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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  • Employment effects of green energy policies Updated

    Does a switch in energy policy toward more renewable sources create or destroy jobs in an industrial country?

    Nico Pestel, December 2019
    Many industrial countries are pursuing so-called green energy policies, which typically imply the replacement of conventional fossil fuel power plants with renewable sources. Such a policy shift may affect employment in different ways. On the one hand, it could create new and additional “green jobs” in the renewables sector; on the other hand, it could crowd out employment in other sectors. An additional consideration is the potential increase in energy prices, which has the potential to stifle labor demand in energy-intensive sectors and reduce the purchasing power of private households.
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