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Author: Rossi, Martín A. ×

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    Peer pressure and externalities : evidence from a field experiment
    (2015-12) Cardinale Lagomarsino, Bruno; Gutman, Matías; Freira, Lucía; Lanzalot, María Laura; Lauletta, Maximiliano; Malchik, Leandro; Montaño Campos, Felipe; Pacini, Bianca; Rossi, Martín A.; Valencia, Christian
    We provide experimental evidence on the effect of peer pressure on activities with externalities. Specifically, we study the effect of being exposed to an observer in a public restroom on hand-washing behavior. Our estimates show that being exposed to an observer increases the probability of hand-washing in 13 percentage points. We also observe urinal flushing behavior, with similar results. We find empirical support that peer pressure may provide an additional way of solving the social suboptimality arising from externalities.
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    First-Day criminal recidivism
    (2014-09) Munyo, Ignacio; Rossi, Martín A.
    We report that on any given day the number of inmates released from incarceration significantly affects the number of offenses committed this day, and we name this as first-day recidivism. Our estimates of this novel approach to study early recidivism are robust to a variety of alternative model specifications. We then show that first-day recidivism can be eliminated by an increase in the gratuity provided to prisoners at the time of their release. A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that increasing the gratuity at release is a very efficient policy.
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    The econometrics approach to the measurement of efficiency : a survey
    (2015-02) Rossi, Martín A.
    I present a survey on the econometric approach to the measurement of efficiency, focusing on the models used in empirical applications. I describe both models for cross sectional data and models for panel data. Finally, I survey the recent literature on models with time varying technical efficiency.
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    Family business : causes and consequences of political dynasties
    (2014-10) Rossi, Martín A.
    I explore the causes of the existence of political dynasties in democratic societies. In particular, I investigate the causal relationship between tenure length and posterior dynastic success. Since tenure length is potentially endogenous in a model of political dynasties, I exploit a natural experiment in Argentina that provides a source of exogenous variation for tenure length. I find that having a longer tenure in Congress increases the probability of having a relative in future congresses. I also find that dynastic legislators have lower performance than non-dynastic legislators.
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    The impact of restrictions to export on production : a synthetic controls approach
    (2015-09) García Lembergman, Ezequiel; Rossi, Martín A.; Stucchi, Rodolfo
    This paper uses quantitative restrictions to exports implemented in Bolivia in order to investigate the impact of export restrictions on the volume of production. We apply a synthetic controls approach and show that production of cattle beef fell remarkably when quantitative restrictions are imposed. Importantly, we show that export restrictions have a negative impact not only on total production, but also on production for local market. The fact that export controls can actually harm production for local market bears important implications for the design of policies in the future.
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    Using labor productivity change estimates as an input for x-factors in price-cap regulation
    (2015-02) Rossi, Martín A.
    In this paper I provide an estimate of labor productivity growth for the electricity distribution sector in Latin America, in the period 1994 to 2001. I report an annual rate of labor productivity change of about 6%. A comparison of the changes in prices and labor productivity reveals that, in most cases, final prices to customers did not fall to reflect the huge labor productivity gains that were achieved during the period under analysis.
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    Career choices and the evolution of the college gender gap
    (2015-03) Rossi, Martín A.; Ruzzier, Christian
    We propose a complementary explanation for the evolution of the college gender gap that emphasizes the raising opportunity cost of pursuing a college degree for men, due to the increase in the rewards to becoming a superstar in men-dominated occupations, like professional sports. We support our expla- nation with causal evidence from a natural experiment in European soccer markets that provides exogenous variation in male earnings in a superstar path. Consistent with our story, we nd a signi cant positive e ect of an increase in male superstar earnings on the ratio of female to male tertiary enrollment in college education.