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2026ECO002.pdf
Doctoral thesis

Essays on redistribution, energy reform, and human capital

  • 2026

PhD: Università della Svizzera italiana

Development economics
Applied microeconomics
Energy subsidy reform
Cash transfers
Human capital
Early-life shocks
Child stunting
Inequality
Iran
Administrative exclusion
Political economy
Opioid misuse
English This dissertation employs causal econometric methods to evaluate public policy across two critical dimensions of economic development: the long-term impact of early-life shocks on human capital and the political economy of energy subsidy reforms. Focusing on Iran - a country characterized by unique historical shocks and an unprecedented scale of fossil fuel subsidies - this research provides novel evidence on how policy design and early-life environments shape lifelong health outcomes and socio-economic inequality. Methodologically, the thesis utilizes a robust toolkit including Difference-in-Differences (DiD) event studies, Regression Discontinuity Designs (RDD), and cohort studies to achieve causal inference in complex policy environments. The first chapter establishes a causal link between early-childhood malnutrition and opioid misuse in later life. Utilizing historical nutritional shocks in Iran, the study suggests that the mechanisms driving this link are rooted in chronic physical pain and diminished health status among the elderly. The second chapter, joint with H. Ghoddusi, analyzes the landmark Iranian energy reforms of 2010 and 2019 to quantify the regressivity of fossil fuel subsidies. The findings demonstrate that while energy subsidies inherently fuel inequality, their replacement with direct cash transfers serves as a powerful tool for national redistribution. The final chapter investigates the micro-level impacts of administrative exclusion from compensation mechanisms. The research shows that exclusion from cash transfers leads to persistent drops in income, caloric intake, and child growth. Furthermore, it identifies an "exclusion risk" that anchors households to inefficient status-quo subsidies, suggesting that mitigating this risk is a necessary condition for successful "oil-to-cash" transitions in oil-rich nations.
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Language
  • English
Classification
Economics
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License undefined
Open access status
green
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https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1335143
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