UC San Diego

This dissertation explores three topics in Urban Economics and International

Trade. Chapter 1 measures the effect of transit access on neighborhood incomes by

exploiting a quasi-experimental setting in Dallas. I show that income in neighborhoods

that received rail access increases compared to neighborhoods that were promised to

receive access but did not receive it. The treatment effect is positively correlated with

initial neighborhood income and highlights the role of transit as an incubator for income

segregation. Chapter 2 estimates the impact of international conflict on bilateral trade

relations using several incidents of politically motivated boycotts. I find large reductions

in exports from the boycotted to the boycotting countries. Product-level results are in line

with intuition and most effective for consumer goods while having at most a temporary

effect on intermediates and capital goods. Chapter 3 explores the usage of Landsat

satellite imagery for the measurement of economic outcomes at small geographies.