Research

My research mostly focuses on applied economics. My main fields of interest are resource economics and applied macro.

PUBLICATIONS

Estimating Behavioral Inattention. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 2025. (with Jonathan Benchimol and Lahcen Bounader)  - link

Bounded rationality and limited attention play a central role in shaping expectation formation and macroeconomic dynamics, yet measuring these behavioral forces empirically remains a challenge. This paper presents the first cross-country estimation of both micro- and macro-level attention parameters using a structurally identified behavioral New Keynesian model. Leveraging Bayesian estimation techniques and harmonized data from 22 OECD countries between 1996 and 2019, the analysis ensures robust parameter identification and reveals considerable heterogeneity in inattention across countries. Estimates of cognitive discounting range from 0.76 to 0.98, with higher values indicating greater attention. Three key empirical patterns emerge: (1) attention parameters are positively correlated with macroeconomic volatility, aligning with rational inattention theory; (2) surprise movements in major macroeconomic variables and online information-seeking behavior significantly affect how attention is allocated; and (3) institutional quality—especially government effectiveness—is positively associated with attention levels. These results suggest that attention operates as both a behavioral and structural phenomenon, influenced by institutional and economic contexts. The findings provide a novel empirical basis for calibrating country-specific macroeconomic models and carry important implications for the formulation and transmission of monetary policy under bounded rationality, indicating that policy effectiveness may vary systematically with the broader macroeconomic environment.

WORKING PAPERS

Industrial Activity, Deforestation, and Land Degradation: Evidence from Brazil (with Daniel Da Mata and Edson Severnini) (link to NBER working paper)

Does industrial activity lead to deforestation and land degradation? Is it possible to overcome limited state capacity to decouple economic activity from environmental degradation? We study these questions in the context of slaughterhouse plant openings in Brazil. Using difference-in-differences, we show that opening a plant increases livestock production at the cost of forest area and pastureland degradation. However, after the introduction of legally-enforceable commitments between slaughterhouses and federal prosecutors that penalize plants for buying livestock from illegally deforested areas, opening a plant leads to higher productivity without increasing deforestation. Our results suggest that agreeable commitments can generate positive economic and environmental outcomes.

Commodity Booms, Emissions and Climate Mitigation Policies (with Daniel Da Mata)  (link to working paper)

This paper examines how production responses to agricultural commodity booms affect greenhouse gas emissions and the take-up of climate mitigation policies. Using a shift-share approach, we find that Brazilian localities more exposed to booms exhibit increased emissions due to agricultural expansion and land allocation. While booms also lead to emissions-reducing responses like higher output per area, the net effect is an increase in emissions. Moreover, we show that commodity booms lead to lower adoption of an emission-curbing policy promoting sustainable farming practices. Our findings suggest that positive economic shocks may undermine climate mitigation efforts by reducing climate policy uptake.

Technological Progress and Climate Change: Evidence from the Agricultural Sector (with  Daniel Da Mata and Thiago Lobo)  (link to working paper)

We investigate whether technological progress can decouple output growth from greenhouse gas emissions. Using a dynamic difference-in-differences design, we show that producers in Brazilian localities with high suitability for genetically modified seeds increase crop output. This increased crop output is not accompanied by deforestation, fires, or more livestock counts---three major emitters. Our findings show that the emissions did not increase in the agricultural sector, such that the sector presents lower emissions per output. The effects are not limited to agriculture; manufacturing-related emissions are affected and increase. Although the combined emissions from agriculture and manufacturing increased following the introduction of genetically modified seeds, the overall emissions growth was smaller in magnitude compared to output growth. Our findings indicate that technological innovations can affect emissions of the targeted sector and have meaningful spillovers to other economic sectors.

Monetary and Fiscal Dominance under Bounded Rationality: Evidence from Brazil (Submitted) (draft paper available upon request)

This paper asks how bounded rationality reshapes the classic comparison between monetary and fiscal dominance in a small open economy. I estimate a behavioral New Keynesian DSGE model with cognitive discounting, incomplete exchange-rate pass-through, and a debt-sensitive policy rule using Brazil as a benchmark given its recurrent monetary–fiscal tensions and their broader relevance for comparable economies. The data support meaningful attenuation of forward-looking behavior on both the household and the firm side. Counterfactual regime exercises reveal a sharp asymmetry: bounded rationality enlarges the determinacy region and diminishes macroeconomic volatility under monetary dominance, but shrinks determinacy and amplifies debt-centered adjustment under fiscal dominance. The effectiveness of a given policy mix therefore depends on how private agents process future policy. The mechanism is not Brazil-specific: economies approaching the active-fiscal border should expect the same pattern in milder form.

Climate Shocks, Agricultural Specialization and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (draft paper available upon request)

This paper examines the impact of climate shocks on agricultural specialization and greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil. Using rainfall variations to identify climate shocks, I show that farmers adapt by reallocating land toward climate-resilient crops and livestock, leading to increased regional specialization. This adaptation, however, also results in expanded agricultural areas, driving higher net greenhouse gas emissions. The findings suggest that increased climate variability related to climate change may further contribute to environmental degradation by influencing land-use decisions, ultimately creating a feedback loop that intensifies climate change through higher emissions associated with land conversion.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Refereed Articles (in Brazilian Journals)

Fatores que Influenciam o Preço da Energia Elétrica no Brasil: uma abordagem hedônica. Revista Brasileira de Energia. 2016. (with Lilian Lima) - link

Book Chapters

Chapter 16 - Behavioral Aspects of the Coffee Consumer in Different Countries: The Case of Brazil. In: Coffee Consumption and Industry Strategies in Brazil. 2019. (with several co-authors) - link

SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS

The Causes of Agricultural Fires: Evidence from Sugar-Cane Production in Brazil

Land Reform and Land Use: Evidence from Brazil (with  Thiago Lobo) 

Climate Change and Education: Impacts on Brazilian Schools (with R. Pieri)