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Does Pollution Drive Achievement? The Effect of Traffic Pollution on Academic Performance

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  • Jennifer A. Heissel
  • Claudia Persico
  • David Simon

Abstract

We examine the effect of traffic pollution on student outcomes by leveraging variation in wind patterns for schools the same distance from major highways. We compare within-student changes in achievement for students transitioning between schools near highways, where one school has greater levels of pollution because it is downwind of a highway. As students graduate from elementary/middle school to middle/high school, their test scores decrease, behavioral incidents increase, and absence rates increase when they attend a downwind school, relative to when they attend an upwind school in the same zip code. Even within zip codes, microclimates can contribute to inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer A. Heissel & Claudia Persico & David Simon, 2022. "Does Pollution Drive Achievement? The Effect of Traffic Pollution on Academic Performance," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(3), pages 747-776.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:57:y:2022:i:3:p:747-776
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.57.3.1218-9903R2
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    Cited by:

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    2. Giaccherini, Matilde & Kopinska, Joanna & Palma, Alessandro, 2021. "When particulate matter strikes cities: Social disparities and health costs of air pollution," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    3. Ludovica Gazze & Claudia Persico & Sandra Spirovska, 2024. "The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42(2), pages 357-394.
    4. Eric Chyn & Lawrence F. Katz, 2021. "Neighborhoods Matter: Assessing the Evidence for Place Effects," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 35(4), pages 197-222, Fall.
    5. Diane Alexander & Hannes Schwandt, 2022. "The Impact of Car Pollution on Infant and Child Health: Evidence from Emissions Cheating," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(6), pages 2872-2910.
    6. Nanna Fukushima & Stephanie von Hinke & Emil N. S{o}rensen, 2024. "The long-term human capital and health impacts of a pollution reduction programme," Papers 2409.11839, arXiv.org.
    7. Bencsik, Panka & Lusher, Lester & Taylor, Rebecca, 2021. "Slow Traffic, Fast Food," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313856, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Shihe Fu & V. Brian Viard, 2022. "A mayors perspective on tackling air pollution," Chapters, in: Charles K.Y. Leung (ed.), Handbook of Real Estate and Macroeconomics, chapter 16, pages 413-437, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. König, Christian & Salomo, Katja & Helbig, Marcel, 2024. "Understanding Variation in Neighbourhood Environmental Inequalities: The Influence of Residential Segregation, Gentrification, and other City-Level Factors," SocArXiv j4tf2, Center for Open Science.
    10. Duque, Valentina & Gilraine, Michael, 2022. "Coal use, air pollution, and student performance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    11. Brehm, Johannes & Pestel, Nico & Schaffner, Sandra & Schmitz, Laura, 2022. "From low emission zone to academic track: Environmental policy effects on educational achievement in elementary school," Ruhr Economic Papers 980, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    12. von Hinke, Stephanie & Sørensen, Emil N., 2023. "The long-term effects of early-life pollution exposure: Evidence from the London smog," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    13. La Nauze, Andrea & Severnini, Edson R., 2021. "Air Pollution and Adult Cognition: Evidence from Brain Training," IZA Discussion Papers 14353, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Christina M. Andersen & Jørgen Brandt & Jesper H. Christensen & Lise M. Frohn & Camilla Geels & Timo Hener & Marianne Simonsen & Lars Skipper, 2024. "Air Pollution and Cognition in Children: Evidence from National Tests in Denmark," CESifo Working Paper Series 11434, CESifo.
    15. Heyes, Anthony & Saberian, Soodeh, 2024. "Pollution and learning: Causal evidence from Obama’s Iran sanctions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    16. Michelle Marcus, 2021. "Pollution at schools and children's aerobic capacity," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(12), pages 3016-3031, December.
    17. Divya Periyakoil & Hari Prasanna Das & Clayton Miller & Costas J. Spanos & Ndola Prata, 2021. "Environmental Exposures in Singapore Schools: An Ecological Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-10, February.
    18. Linh Pham & Travis Roach, 2024. "Spillover benefits of carbon dioxide cap and trade: Evidence from the Toxics Release Inventory," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(1), pages 449-467, January.
    19. Wen Hsu & Bing-Fang Hwang & Chau-Ren Jung & Yau-Huo Jimmy Shr, 2021. "Can Air Pollution Save Lives? Air Quality and Risky Behaviors on Roads," Papers 2111.06837, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2021.
    20. Singh, Tejendra Pratap & Visaria, Sujata, 2021. "Up in the Air: Air Pollution and Crime – Evidence from India," SocArXiv hs4xj, Center for Open Science.
    21. Wolfgang Habla & Vera Huwe & Martin Kesternich, 2019. "Tempolimits und Grenzwerte: für eine evidenzbasierte verkehrspolitische Debatte [Plea for Evidence-based Policy in the Context of Air Pollution Thresholds and Speed Limits]," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 99(5), pages 330-334, May.
    22. Dube, Benjamin, 2021. "Why cross and mix disciplines and methodologies?: Multiple meanings of Interdisciplinarity and pluralism in ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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