Abstract: This paper analyzes the effect of exposure to foreign mass media on environmental preferences and pro-environmental behavior. We exploit a natural experiment occurring in the German Democratic Republic, where geographic characteristics determined the reception of Western TV. Western media provided information on environmental pollution, a topic censored in East German state media. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), we find a positive and persistent effect of Western TV exposure on environmental awareness and the likelihood of participating in environmental organizations. The analysis of survey data conducted before the fall of the Iron Curtain supports these findings. By examining county-level data, we show that Western TV induced individuals to submit complaint letters related to environmental protection to local authorities. Moreover, regions that could receive Western TV exhibited higher electoral outcomes for the Green Party in the first two federal elections of reunified Germany.

Presented at: International Conference on "The Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship"  (February 2023), CESifo Area Conference on Energy and Climate Economics (March 2023), EPCS (March 2023), RES & SES 2023 Annual Conference (April 2023), ESPE (June 2023), Asian Meeting of the ES (June 2023), EEA-ESEM Congress (August 2023), VfS (September 2023),  ASSA (January 2024),  International SOEP User Conference (July 2024)

Abstract: Television is a major spare-time activity with the potential to lower economic activity but also to manipulate behavior by changing preferences and social norms through role models. To provide a comprehensive investigation into the impacts of television on the labor market, we study two natural experiments providing variation in access to television broadcasts. First, we leverage a setting in West Germany, where individuals in some regions could watch commercial television via terrestrial frequencies while others could only watch public TV. By analyzing rich panel data, we provide evidence inconsistent with the notion of negative impacts on labor market outcomes. Instead, we find positive effects on the labor supply among females. This employment premium has limited monetary consequences for females, which could be due to gender-specific occupational choices. To better understand the mechanisms and to examine long-run effects, we exploit a setting in East Germany, where for decades, citizens in most areas had access to Western public TV with its emphasis on conservative and family-oriented values, except for those areas where only state-run socialist television with a focus on full employment was available. By analyzing several datasets, we provide evidence on the beliefs of East Germans about the role of women in the labor market, which could explain the persistent effects of TV on the female labor supply and gender equality in labor market participation. It appears that Eastern socialist TV shares a surprising similarity with today’s dominant form of Western free-market TV: they both encourage women to work.

Presented at: ESPE (June 2022), Asian Meeting of the ES (June 2022),  SOEP User Conference (July 2022), Asian Meeting of the ES in East and South-East Asia (August 2022), EALE (September 2022), VfS (September 2022), CESifo Area Conference on the Economics of Digitization (November 2022), ASSA (January 2023), SOLE (May 2023), EEA-ESEM Congress (August 2023)

Abstract: This study examines within-class age differences as a novel determinant of adolescents’ dietary behaviors, isolating it from confounders such as absolute age, season of birth, and country-specific school entry rules. Using a multi-country dataset of over 500,000 European students, we find that younger students within a class exhibit poorer dietary habits. Since confounders are controlled for, these effects are likely driven by peer influence. The findings hold across various model specifications, with minimal variation by gender or country group, highlighting the broad impact of relative age on dietary behaviors.

Presented at: AASLE (December 2024)