baseball_accepted_version.pdf (1.26 MB)
Air quality and error quantity: pollution and performance in a high-skilled, quality-focused occupation
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 11:52 authored by James Archsmith, Anthony Heyes, Soodeh SaberianWe provide the first evidence that short-term exposure to air pollution affects the work performance of a group of highly-skilled, quality-focused employees. We repeatedly observe the decision-making of individual professional baseball umpires, quasi-randomly assigned to varying air quality across time and space. Unique characteristics of this setting combined with high-frequency data disentangle effects of multiple pollutants and identify previously under-explored acute effects. We find a 1 ppm increase in 3-hour CO causes an 11.5% increase in the propensity of umpires to make incorrect calls and a 10 mg/m3 increase in 12-hour PM2.5 causes a 2.6% increase. We control carefully for a variety of potential confounders and results are supported by robustness and falsification checks.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource EconomistsISSN
2333-5955Publisher
University of Chicago PressExternal DOI
Department affiliated with
- Economics Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes