Seminario de Investigación

Seminario de Investigación del IIEP

13-14 h | Rooting for the Same Team: Shared social identities in a polarized context

Expositor | Nicolás Ajzenman | McGill University – Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

Can shared identities help overcome political divides in polarized settings? We answer this question with a field experiment on Twitter during the Brazilian 2022 elections. Although both congruence in political (supporting the same candidate) and affective (rooting for the same football team) identities increase follow-backs and reduce blocks, the positive effect of shared affective identity weakens when information on political identity is available. Using observational live-streamed data from Twitter during the 2022 World Cup, we complement our analysis by exploring the public political leaning of Brazilian players. Analyzing the content of tweets posted by Brazilian nationals during the country’s games, we document significant differences in fans’ reactions depending on their political alignment with the specific players that triggered relevant events in the game. Our results indicate that political identity can hinder the potential of other shared identities to reduce political divides and foster social cohesion.

14-15 h | Business Cycles and Police Hires 

Expositor | Fernando Saltiel | McGill University – Department of Economics

Abstract

 We show that the quality of police hires varies over the business cycle. Officers hired when the unemployment rate is high have fewer complaints, disciplines, and are less likely to be fired than officers hired when the unemployment rate is low. Effects are larger for younger workers who have weaker outside options in recessions. We find that the size and quality of the applicant pool increases in high unemployment years–more people take entry exams and a smaller fraction fail the exam. Our findings shed light on how outside options affect police hires and speak to policy questions about police recruitment.

Sobre los expositores

Nicolás Ajzenman is an Assistant Professor at McGill (Economics Department) and an affiliated professor at J-PAL. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at the Sao Paulo School of Economics-FGV. Ajzenman is an applied microeconomist, working at the intersection of development economics, behavioral economics, and political economy. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in top scientific journals such as the Review of Economic Studies, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Economic Journal, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Development Economics, The Journal of Law and Economics, Economics of Education Review, and Health Economics. He was a Visiting Scholar in the Behavioral Economics Group of the Inter-American Development Bank and he has also worked and consulted for multilateral development organizations, such as the World Bank and the EBRD. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (Sciences Po), a Master in Public Administration-International Development (Harvard University), a Master’s degree in Economics (Universidad de San Andres), and a BA in Economics (Universidad de Buenos Aires). Nicolas Ajzenman joined IZA as a Research Affiliate in November 2020.

Fernando Saltiel es Profesor Asistente de economía en McGill University e investigador afiliado al Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) y Duke University. Tiene un Ph.D. en Economía (University of Maryland. Sus trabajos han sido publicados en revistas académicas como el Economic Journal, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Journal of Applied Econometrics, European Economic Review y Economics of Education Review, entre otros. Su investigación se centra en diversos temas de economía laboral, incluyendo la importancia de habilidades en el mercado laboral, el retorno a inversiones de capital humano y el proceso de desarrollo de habilidades.

Lugar | FCE-UBA Aula 235 | 2° piso | Sector Posgrado