Working Papers
“Voting on a Trade Agreement: Firm Networks and Attitudes Toward Openness”
with Diana Van Patten
The Review of Economic Studies, revise and resubmit
We exploit a natural experiment to study the extent to which popular attitudes toward trade are driven by economic fundamentals. In 2007, Costa Rica put a free trade agreement (FTA) to a national referendum. With a single question on the ballot, 59% of Costa Rican adult citizens cast a vote on whether they wanted an FTA with the United States to be ratified, or not. We merge disaggregated referendum results with employer-employee data, customs and balance-sheet data, firm-to-firm transactions data, and data on household composition and expenditures. We document that a firm’s exposure to the FTA, directly and via input-output linkages, significantly influences the voting behavior of its employees. This effect is greater for voters who are aligned with pro-FTA political candidates. We find that import competition plays a role in explaining votes against openness, and that within-industry heterogeneity is key in explaining votes, as compared
with sector-level exposure. We also show that citizens considered the expected decrease in consumer prices when exercising their vote.
Work in Progress
“Strategic Complementarities in a Dynamic Model of Fintech Adoption”
with Fernando Alvarez, David Argente, Francesco Lippi, & Diana Van Patten
“Enrooted Corporate Culture: The Long-Run Impact of Exposure to Multinationals on Local Trade Policy and Political Identity”
with Diana Van Patten
“Selecting Between Public and Private Healthcare”
Research Publications
“Multinationals, Monopsony and Local Development: Evidence from the United Fruit Company”
with Diana Van Patten
Econometrica, Vol. 90, No. 6 (November, 2022), 2685–2721
Media Coverage: Marginal Revolution, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Cato Institute, VoxDev, 7-minute summary video by Econimate, Podcast by Trade Talks.
“Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions in Costa Rica: a Local Approach” 2021 Joint Research Program. XXVI Meeting of the Central Bank Researchers Network. Chapter in “Macroeconomic Policy Responses to COVID-19”
with Jose Pablo Barquero Romero & Carlos Segura-Rodriguez
with Jorge León Murillo
Revista de Ciencias Económicas, 2016, 34(2): 103-132
“El acceso al crédito para microempresas en Alajuela, Cartago y Heredia”
with Rodrigo Villalta Díaz
Revista de Ciencias Económicas, 2012, 30(2): 247-271
with Rodrigo Villalta Díaz
Revista de Ciencias Económicas, 2012, 30(1): 293-304
Policy Work
“Reservas internacionales netas adecuadas y óptimas en Costa Rica” Documento de Trabajo No. 02-2021, Departamento de Investigación Económica, Banco Central de Costa Rica.
“Implicaciones sobre la inflación de no acuñar la moneda de 5 colones” Nota Técnica No. 02-2021, Departamento de Investigación Económica, Banco Central de Costa Rica.