Applied Microeconomics
Applied Microeconomics
The Applied Microeconomics research group unites researchers working on a broad array of topics within such areas as labour economics, economics of education, health economics, family economics, urban economics, environmental economics, and the economics of science and innovation. The group operates in close collaboration with the CAGE Research Centre.
The group participates in the CAGE seminar on Applied Economics, which runs weekly on Tuesdays at 2:15pm. Students and faculty members of the group present their ongoing work in two brown bag seminars, held weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1pm. Students, in collaboration with faculty members, also organise a bi-weekly reading group in applied econometrics on Thursdays at 1pm. The group organises numerous events throughout the year, including the Research Away Day and several thematic workshops.
Our activities
Work in Progress seminars
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1-2pm
Students and faculty members of the group present their work in progress in two brown bag seminars. See below for a detailed scheduled of speakers.
Applied Econometrics reading group
Thursdays (bi-weekly) 1-2pm
Organised by students in collaboration with faculty members. See the Events calendar below for further details
People
Academics
Academics associated with the Applied Microeconomics Group are:
Research Students
Events
PEPE (Political Economy & Public Economics) Seminar - Alexey Makarin (MIT Sloan)
The Political Economic Determinants of Nuclear Power: Evidence from Chernobyl (by Alexey Makarin, Nancy Qian, Shaoda Wang)
This paper investigates the political-economic determinants of nuclear energy investment using the Chernobyl accident as a natural experiment. We document several facts. First, the accident sharply reduced worldwide growth in the number of operating nuclear reactors. Second, the reduction is driven by increased construction delays in democracies, leading to prolonged use of older and less safe plants. Third, the nuclear growth slowdown in democracies is more pronounced when large fossil fuel reserves are present. Fourth, the opening of a new nuclear power plant reduces air pollution in nearby cities. Finally, micro-level evidence from the UK Parliament and US Congress provides strong indication that political capture by energy groups played a role in reducing nuclear energy investment in democracies, which may have hindered efforts to improve nuclear safety and moderate climate change.