Job Market Paper

• The regional heterogeneous effects of property transactions taxes in England and Wales

  This paper analyses the regional heterogeneous effects of property transaction taxes in the residential housing market in England and Wales. I exploit two different sources of variation. Firstly, a single tax rate applied to transactions in some price bands and jumped at some cutoffs (slab system). After a reform in December 2014, the same bands of the purchase price were taxed at increasing rates and the discrete jumps were replaced by changes in the slope (slice system). Using a combination of administrative and quasi-administrative data, and a bunching design and augmented synthetic control strategy, I estimate how different were the effects of both systems in London and outside London. I find that the slab system destroyed property transactions outside London, but not in London. However, the reform to the slice system mitigated this welfare loss. To explore the mechanisms driving such variation across regions, I build a search a matching model of the ownership market that incorporates bunching. Based on descriptive evidence, simulations show that sellers' transaction cost and buyer search cost explain the regional heterogeneity in the response to the tax.

  Presented at:

  • Ph.D. Seminar - University of Edinburgh
  • Workshop - Ph.D. Statistics Day at University of Edinburgh (2023)

Working Papers

• Crime responses to labour market shocks

  This paper examines the effects of two significant shocks on the US labor market: trade competition and technological advancements, particularly the routinization of tasks, which have driven changes in unemployment and inequality. Using Shift-Share (Bartik) Instrumental Variables, the analysis reveals that while trade competition does not significantly impact arrest rates, technological adoption and task routinization have a notable positive effect, particularly on violent crimes and gambling. The findings show that adult men, the group most affected by routinization, experience the highest increase in arrest rates, highlighting the role of inequality as a key mechanism linking labor market disruptions to crime. These results underscore the broader societal consequences of technological change and suggest that policies addressing income inequality and worker protection are critical for mitigating these effects. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers designing equitable responses to labor market disruptions caused by technological advancements.

  Presented at:

  • Conference - Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics Conference (2024)
  • Conference - Scottish Economic Society Conference (2024)
  • Conference - Scottish Graduate Program in Economics Conference (2024)
• Did Low-Skilled Men Crowd Low-Skilled Women Out of the UK Labor Market?

  This paper examines the impact of information and communications technologies (ICT) on employment in the UK, focusing on how ICT has polarized job opportunities by skill level and gender. It explores how low-skilled men, displaced from blue-collar jobs, have moved into interpersonal occupations, potentially displacing low-skilled women, mirroring trends observed in the U.S. labor market.

  Presented at:

  • Conference - European Association of Labour Economics Conference (2024)
  • Conference - Labour Economics Meeting (2024)
  • Conference - Annual Southern PhD in Economics Conference (2023)
  • Conference - Scottish Economic Society Conference (2022)
  • Conference - Scottish Graduate Program in Economics Conference (2022)
  • Ph.D. Seminar - University of Edinburgh

Published Research Papers

• Hidden Figures Behind Two-Vehicle Crashes: An Assessment of the Risk and External Costs of Drunk Driving in Spain. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 127, 42-51. Coauthored with Jesús Rodríguez-López and Yolanda Rebollo-Sanz

  This paper estimates the increased risk of crashes caused by drunk drivers in Spain (2.7-3.9 times higher at night) and suggests that fines of €1250 could offset the external costs of drunk driving, which have declined since the introduction of stricter penalties in 2006.