Search Results
Working Paper
Extreme Weather and the Macroeconomy
Working Paper
Temperature and Growth: A Panel Analysis of the United States
We document that seasonal temperatures have significant and systematic effects on the U.S. economy, both at the aggregate level and across a wide cross-section of economic sectors. This effect is particularly strong for the summer: a 1 degree F increase in the average summer temperature is associated with a reduction in the annual growth rate of state-level output of 0.15 to 0.25 percentage points. We combine our estimates with projected increases in seasonal temperatures and find that rising temperatures could reduce U.S. economic growth by up to one-third over the next century.
Working Paper
Asset Pledgeability and Endogenously Leveraged Bubbles
We develop a simple model of defaultable debt and rational bubbles in the price of an asset, which can be pledged as collateral in a competitive credit pool. When the asset pledgeability is low, the down payment is high, and bubble investment is unleveraged, as in a standard rational bubble model. When the pledgeability is high, the down payment is low, making it easier for leveraged borrowers to invest in the bubbly asset. As loans are packaged together into a competitive pool, the pricing of individual default risk may facilitate risk-taking. In equilibrium, credit-constrained borrowers may ...
Working Paper
Long-term Effects of Redlining on Environmental Risk Exposure
Climate change exacerbates environmental risks such as intensifying extreme precipitation and heat events. Urban design, in turn, can further amplify these background climate stressors through the well-known urban heat island and rainfall effects, which are largely controlled by the local dominance of impervious land covers, surface roughness, and lack of mature tree canopy. While the extent to which present-day exposures and outcomes related to these climate-exacerbated environmental risks in urban areas can be linked to historical policies has received recent attention (Mujahid et al. 2021; ...
Working Paper
Regressive Welfare Effects of Housing Bubbles
We analyze the welfare effects of asset bubbles in a model with income inequality and financial friction. We show that a bubble that emerges in the value of housing, a durable asset that is fundamentally useful for everyone, has regressive welfare effects. By raising the housing price, the bubble benefits high-income savers but negatively affects low-income borrowers. The key intuition is that, by creating a bubble in the market price, savers' demand for the housing asset for investment purposes imposes a negative externality on borrowers, who only demand the housing asset for utility ...
Working Paper
Debt Limits and Credit Bubbles in General Equilibrium
We provide a novel characterization of self-enforcing debt limits in a general equilibrium framework of risk sharing with limited commitment, where defaulters are subject to recourse (a fractional loss of current and future endowments) and exclusion from future credit. We show that debt limits are exactly equal to the present value of recourse plus a credit bubble component. We provide applications to models of sovereign debt, private collateralized debt, and domestic public debt. Implications include an original equivalence mapping among distinct institutional arrangements, thereby ...
Briefing
Pricing and Mispricing of Climate Risks in U.S. Financial Markets
There is a rapidly growing research literature studying the effects of climate change risks on financial markets. Recent evidence suggests that markets have started to price climate risks. However, the extent of pricing varies across markets and time, and there is evidence of potential market inefficiencies. This article will highlight some key findings and their policy implications.
Working Paper
Asset Bubbles and Global Imbalances
We analyze the relationships between bubbles, capital flows, and economic activities in a rational bubble model with two large open economies. We establish a reinforcing relationship between global imbalances and bubbles. Capital flows from South to North facilitate the emergence and the size of bubbles in the North. Bubbles in the North in turn facilitate South-to-North capital flows. The model can simultaneously explain several stylized features of recent bubble episodes.
Briefing
How Does Market Competition Affect Banks' Adaptation to Changes in Flood Risks?
This article examines the interplay between market competition and banks' strategic responses to projected long-term changes in flood risks, using data from the home-equity credit market post-Hurricane Harvey. Our work reveals that banks updated their risk models based on exposure to the hurricane, with those in competitive markets less likely to adopt cautious lending practices. It also explores the concept of strategic complementarity, showing that banks' adaptive behaviors are influenced by their competitors. These findings shed insights on how market forces may influence the way banks ...