Mary Quiroga

Abstract: This paper provides the first evidence that extreme heat directly affects teachers, with consequences for student learning. Using matched student–teacher administrative data from North Carolina linked to high-resolution weather records, the analysis shows that older teachers, who are more sensitive to heat stress, experience greater productivity losses and higher absence rates during hot years. Students of older teachers see test score declines with each additional extreme heat day, effectively erasing the benefits of teaching experience. The cumulative impact of climate change–driven increases in heat is potentially large: equivalent to a shock on test scores comparable to Hurricane Katrina every ten years.

Abstract: Using publicly available administrative data on SNAP participation linked with state-level prices for groceries and gasoline, I estimate how fluctuations in household expenses shape enrollment decisions. Preliminary results suggest that a ten-cent increase in gasoline prices is associated with a 2.7% rise in SNAP participation in the following month, controlling for grocery costs and local labor market conditions. These findings indicate that households respond quickly and directly to changes in volatile, unavoidable expenses. By drawing attention to the connection between energy insecurity and food assistance, this project reframes how we think about the drivers of safety net take-up and highlights a mechanism through which macroeconomic shocks influence household well-being.

In this paper, I link utility company disconnection records from Michigan with monthly weather data and social safety net program enrollment to study how hot weather affects the likelihood of involuntary electricity shutoffs. This unique dataset makes it possible to quantify not only the risks households face during extreme heat, but also the role of institutional protections and policy interventions in mitigating these risks. The results show that each one-degree increase in hot weather leads to an 8.5% increase in electricity disconnections, with particularly pronounced effects among investor-owned utilities. However, these impacts are substantially reduced when states implement moratoria on shutoffs during hot weather, underscoring the importance of regulatory protections. I also document suggestive evidence that disconnections increase Medicaid enrollment, highlighting how energy precarity can spill over into demand for other public programs.