Ricardo Maertens (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Corn Production, Pesticides, and Fetal Health: Evidence from the Renewable Fuel Standard in the United States   

Date: October, 17th At 13h

Room: 23.103 (Mercè Rodoreda Building) - Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona

Abstract: The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) of 2005 increased the demand for corn and induced heterogeneous increases in corn production across counties. I present a model of corn production that identifies counties' potential for corn expansion (PCE) and suggests a related empirical measure. I use my measure of PCE and information on times of corn pesticide application to estimate the effect of corn production on the incidence of abdominal wall defects and small-for-gestational age ---previously associated with corn pesticides--- and perinatal death. The RFS increased their respective incidence rates by over 92.1, 1.4, and 20 percentage points.

 

Bio: PhD candidate at the Department of Economics and Business at Pompeu Fabra University. He is an applied economist with interests in agricultural, health, and natural resources economics. He is currently studying the effect of agricultural pesticides on fetal health in the U.S. Corn Belt. In the past, he has studied the effect of agricultural shocks on civil war in Africa. He holds a degree in Economics (2011) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Master in Economics (2012) from Barcelona GSE and Master in Economic Research from Pompeu Fabra University, (2013).