Iacopo Monterosa (University of Turin) is a visiting research student until July 2023.

Iacopo graduated from our department with an MSc in Economics in 2021. Please find the title and abstract of his presentation below.

Title: Environmental Degradation and Social Unrest: an Analysis of Open-Air Waste Burning in Italy

Although environmental activism has been increasing worldwide in recent years, less is known about what drives variation among and within countries in such activism. In this project, I examine the role of exposure to local episodes of pollution as a potential driver. I ask if exposure to environmental degradation fosters pro-environmental protests as well as the intensity of social unrest in general. Using granular data on open-air fires of industrial waste and protests in Italy, I document an increase in environmental protests and violence (i.e. riots) following a fire. To account for the endogeneity of fire location, I rely on the fact that some industrial waste containing copper is burned by copper thieves when trying to get hold of this valuable metal. I thus exploit exogenous variation in the world price of copper to confirm that open-air fires are consequential for both environmental protests and violent events.