publications

The non-green effects of going green: Local environmental and economic consequences of lithium extraction in Chile- 2026

Lithium extraction in the Atacama Salt Flat (Chile) reduced the water availability, vegetation, economic activity, and human settlements in the local communities nearby.

With Vaios Triantafyllou and Gonzalo Martínez

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
In this paper, we investigate the local environmental and economic effects of lithium extraction in the Atacama Salt Flat (ASF) in Chile as a result of the global push for the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Utilizing granular administrative and remote sensing datasets, we assess the impacts of the extraction operations on water availability, vegetation, economic activity, and population dynamics in the ASF. Our findings reveal significant declines in groundwater levels as well as notable reductions in vegetation, economic activity, and local populations due to exposure to the extraction of lithium. We present evidence that the negative effect on vegetation was concentrated in human settlements as opposed to natural reserves, suggesting a reduction in agricultural activity. The main mechanism is the reduction in endemic forestry species and agricultural crops. This likely led to a decline in economic opportunities, which may explain the population outflow from areas around the ASF.

From Displacement to Integration: Mitigating the Distributional Effect of Immigration through an Amnesty Program- 2025

The massive exodus of Venezuelans in Colombia caused a decline in low-income wages, which increased inequality. A regularization program that integrated immigrants into the formal economy mitigated these regressive effects.

With Carlo Lombardo,Julian Martinez-Correa, and Leonardo Gasparini

Journal of Economic Geography
We examine how the massive exodus of Venezuelans and an amnesty program aimed at their inte gration affected income distribution in Colombia. Using RIF regressions in an instrumental variables approach, we find that the exodus had a negative effect on the lower tail of native Colombians’ in come distribution, while the amnesty program partially mitigated this impact. Our findings posit downgrading as the driving mechanism. Employment restrictions forced Venezuelan migrants into lower-paying, more routinized jobs despite their qualifications, exacerbating pressures on the low- skilled labor segment in Colombia. The regularization program mitigated the extent of downgrading, thereby alleviating the unequalizing impact of migration.

Heterogeneous effects of forced migration on the female labor market: The Venezuelan exodus in Colombia- 2023

The Venezuelan exodus increased labor supply in Colombia, reducing the cost of domestic services. This allowed high-skilled Colombian women to hire more domestic services, substituting household chores for greater labor participation.

With Julian Pedrazzi

The Journal of Development Studies
In this paper, we analyze the impact of Venezuelan migration on the female labor market in Colombia. Following the economic crisis in Venezuela, more than 1.5 million Venezuelans arrived in Colombia in the period 2016–2019. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that the sudden influx of millions of migrants reduced the labor force participation of less-skilled native women due to a disproportionate increase of competition in economic activities in which they were more concentrated. On the other hand, migration positively affected the labor force participation for high-skilled women with children. When testing the underlying mechanisms of this latter result, we find a reduction in the time spent on childcare and an increase in the probability of hiring domestic service, explained by a decrease in the cost of this service due to the Venezuelan exodus.

Latin American Brotherhood? Immigration and Preferences for Redistribution- 2022

The share of immigrants has a negative, non-monotonic effect on support for redistributive policies in Latin America. This pattern is driven by Latin American and low-skilled immigrants and is stronger among high-income respondents.

With Julian Martinez-Correa and Leonardo Gasparini

The Journal of Development Studies
Preferences for redistribution are critical determinants of the size of the welfare state and, therefore, of the level of inequality in a country. In this paper, we explore the effect of immigration on preferences for redistribution in the context of migration in Latin America, where migrants tend to have characteristics more similar to those of natives. To this aim, we exploit provincial-level data from a large attitudinal survey and match it with immigration data from different sources. We follow three approaches: first, we exploit within-country variation in a cross-sectional analysis with census data; second, we estimate a fixed effects model with data from a large sample of harmonised national household surveys; and third, we exploit the massive influx of Venezuelan refugees into the border country of Colombia with an instrumental variables approach. Our results consistently suggest a significant, negative, non-monotonic relationship between the share of immigrants at the provincial level and support for redistributive policies. The effect is mainly explained by Latin American and low-skilled immigrants, and is stronger for high-income respondents.

Living with the neighbors: the effect of the Venezuelan forced migration on the labor market in Colombia - 2022‍ ‍

The Venezuelan exodus caused a decline in hourly wages and employment in Colombia. The drop in wages was greater for men, low-skilled, and informal workers.

Journal for Labour Market Research
I estimate the effect of the Venezuelan exodus on the Colombian labor market. The economic and social crisis in Venezuela triggered one of the most important migratory exoduses in recent decades: more than 4 million Venezuelans left their country and close to 1.8 million arrived in Colombia. I show that an increase in 1 p.p of labor supply due the migratory flow caused a decline in hourly wages in Colombia of 0.4% and a negative effect of 0.1 p.p. on the employment rate of low-skilled workers. The drop in wages was greater for men, low-skilled and informal workers.