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Full-Text Articles in International Economics
Local Environmental Quality And Inter-Jurisdictional Spillovers, John W. Hatfield, Katrina Kosec
Local Environmental Quality And Inter-Jurisdictional Spillovers, John W. Hatfield, Katrina Kosec
Katrina Kosec
We investigate the classic question of how the provision of a local publicly-provided good--air quality--varies with the degree of decentralization of policymaking. Exploiting exogenous variation in the natural topography of the United States to instrument for the number of local government jurisdictions in a metropolitan area, we show that areas with more jurisdictions have significantly lower air quality, and significantly higher concentrations of the toxic air pollutants most closely associated with cancer and non-cancer health risks. Moreover, we estimate that this increase in pollution lowers housing values by at least 3%. By contrast, local drinking water quality--a publicly-provided good not …
The Child Health Implications Of Privatizing Africa's Urban Water Supply, Katrina Kosec
The Child Health Implications Of Privatizing Africa's Urban Water Supply, Katrina Kosec
Katrina Kosec
Can private sector participation (PSP) in the piped water sector improve child health? I use child-level data from 39 African countries during 1986-2010 to show that PSP decreases diarrhea among urban-dwelling, under-five children by 2.6 percentage points, or 16% of its mean prevalence. Children from the poorest households benefit most. PSP is also associated with a 7.8 percentage point increase in school attendance of 7-17 year olds. Importantly, PSP increases usage of piped water by 9.7 percentage points, suggesting a possible causal channel explaining health improvements. To attribute causality, I exploit time-variation in the private water market share controlled by …
Malnutrition, Child Health, And Water Quality: Is There A Role For Private Sector Participation In South Asia?, Katrina Kosec
Malnutrition, Child Health, And Water Quality: Is There A Role For Private Sector Participation In South Asia?, Katrina Kosec
Katrina Kosec
This article discusses the potential of private sector participation (PSP) to improve the urban water supply in South Asia. I first provide background on the literature linking a safe and adequate water supply with malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality. To better understand the selection mechanism underlying the decision to undergo PSP, I then analyze factors associated with the award of private water contracts worldwide. I next present empirical evidence that PSP in water is associated with a lower incidence of diarrheal disease and higher rates of access to piped water among young children in urban Africa. Finally, I conclude by reviewing …