Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Economics
Advisor
Timothy Goodspeed
Committee Members
Thom Thurston
Matthew Baker
Subject Categories
Economics
Keywords
Public Economics, natural disasters, synthetic control method, tax policy, equity volatility, Intertemporal tax discontinuities
Abstract
This dissertation consists of three empirical essays in public economics, unified by a focus on how fiscal shocks and regulatory institutions shape economic outcomes. The first chapter examines the local economic impact of natural disasters in the United States using IRS tax records and FEMA disaster designations at the zip-code level. Employing synthetic control methods, it identifies heterogeneous income effects by type and geography. The second chapter analyzes the influence of tax policy and regulation in a developing country context using an ideal instrumental variable strategy. The final chapter investigates how intertemporal capital gains tax discontinuities affect IPO equity pricing and trading volume, offering new evidence on tax timing effects in financial asset markets.
Recommended Citation
Santamaria, Zachary, "Essays in Public Economics" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6339
