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Author: Mezza, Alvaro
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Deza, Monica
Mezza, Alvaro
The Intergenerational Effects of the Vietnam Draft on Risky Behaviors
NBER Working Paper No. 27830, National Bureau of Economic Research, September 2020.
Also: https://www.nber.org/papers/w27830
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Keyword(s): Adolescent Behavior; Delinquency/Gang Activity; Fathers and Children; Military Draft; Substance Use

We exploit the natural experiment provided by the Vietnam lottery draft to evaluate the intergenerational effect of fathers' draft eligibility on children's propensity to engage in risky health behaviors during adolescence using the NLSY97. Draft eligibility increases measures of substance use, intensity of use, decreases age of initiation--particularly for marijuana--and increases measures of delinquency. We explore potential mechanisms: Draft eligibility affects paternal parenting styles and attitudes towards the respondent, environmental aspects, and even maternal factors. Results are robust to alternative specifications and falsification diagnostics. Our results indicate that previous analyses underestimate the full negative effects of draft eligibility.
Bibliography Citation
Deza, Monica and Alvaro Mezza. "The Intergenerational Effects of the Vietnam Draft on Risky Behaviors." NBER Working Paper No. 27830, National Bureau of Economic Research, September 2020.
2. Mezza, Alvaro
Buchinsky, Moshe
Illegal Drugs, Education, and Labor Market Outcomes
Journal of Econometrics published online (22 September 2020): DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2019.03.009.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304407620303316
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Drug Use; Educational Attainment; Labor Market Outcomes; Male Sample; Wages

In this paper we investigate the causal effects of consuming illegal drugs on educational attainment, employment, and wages. To identify these effects we develop and estimate a dynamic structural model to jointly consider decisions of whether to consume drugs, attend school, participate in the labor force, and save.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), we focus our analysis on males; the period of analysis begins at age 13, when they are young enough to have had no experience with drugs. Contrary to findings in the literature, non-drug users have higher wages than marijuana and/or hard drug users. This effect is small for individuals who consume marijuana in low doses but increases with the frequency of drug use. Results from a counterfactual experiment suggest that a 30 percent increase in the price of marijuana each period would reduce the number of marijuana consumers among the 13- to 30-year-olds by 16 percent. Individuals who are dissuaded from consuming marijuana due to the higher price would increase their level of education, their annual income, and work more.

Bibliography Citation
Mezza, Alvaro and Moshe Buchinsky. "Illegal Drugs, Education, and Labor Market Outcomes." Journal of Econometrics published online (22 September 2020): DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2019.03.009.