Statistics Seminar(2016-21)
Topic:Economic Status, Air Quality, and Child Health: Evidence from Inversion Episodes
Speaker:Per Johansson, Uppsala University
Time:Friday, 28 October, 14:00-15:30
Place:Room 217, Guanghua Building 2
Abstract
On normal days, the temperature decreases with altitude, allowing air pollutants to rise and disperse. During inversion episodes, a warmer air layer at higher altitude traps pollutants close to the ground. We show how readily available NASA satellite data on vertical temperature profiles can be used to measure inversion episodes on a global scale with high spatial and temporal resolution. Then, we link inversion episode data to ground level pollution monitors and to daily in- and outpatient records for the universe of children in Sweden during a six-year period to provide instrumental variable estimates of the effects of air quality on children's health. The IV estimates show that the respiratory illness health care visit rate increases by 8 percent for each 10μm/m? increase in PM10; an estimate four times higher than conventional estimates. Importantly, by linking the health care data to detailed records of parental background characteristics, we show that children from low-income households suffer significantly more from air pollution than children from high income households. Finally, we provide evidence on the importance of several mechanisms that could contribute to the difference in the impact of air pollution across children in rich and poor households.
Introduction:

Dr. Per Johanssonis since 1999 employed as a researcher at IFAU. He has had a chair in micro econometric evaluation at the Department of Economics, Uppsala University (2002) and is currantly Professor at the Department of Statistics. He has a Philosophy Licentiate (1992) from the Stockholm School of Economics and a Ph.D. (1993) from Ume? University. His research deals with the analysis of micro data in general (both methodological and applied). The applied work has mainly been in labor economics (effects of income security systems on labor market behavior, program evaluation, and economics of education) but he has also done research in transport economics. Publications include papers in Journal of Econometrics, Journal of European Economic Association, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Human Resources and Transportation Research.
http://www.ifau.se/PJ
Your participation is warmly welcomed!