Three Essays on Agricultural Labor and Trade

Abstract

Several studies performed since the early 2010s have reported a declining supply of farm labor and localized farm labor shortages in the U.S. The first two chapters of my dissertation assess how immigration and agricultural minimum wage policies affect the U.S. agricultural labor market using secondary data. I find that the immigration policy, which requires new workers’ work eligibility, restricts the employment of undocumented farmworkers, while agricultural minimum wages increase the employment of less-educated agricultural workers, especially among citizen Hispanics. Each policy affects the agricultural labor market differently, and thus analyzing the policy impacts is crucial to understanding their effects on the market. The third chapter focuses independently on a change in environmental policy in China and its impact on global waste trade. The waste import ban on paper, plastic, and textiles in 2018 led to an increase in their exports to upper-middle-income countries compared to other types of waste exports. Moreover, more waste is exported to countries with lax environmental regulations, which supports the pollution haven hypothesis. Countries lacking the infrastructure to recycle waste and dispose of residuals are more likely to be affected by increased amounts of imported waste.