Bahadır Dursun Publications

This paper provides the first nationwide U.S. evidence on the effects of electric vehicle (EV) adoption on air quality and child health. Using county-level data from 2010–2021, we link EV registrations to air pollution, birth outcomes, and emergency department visits. Endogenous adoption is addressed using two-way fixed effects and an instrumental variables strategy exploiting the rollout of federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. Greater EV adoption significantly lowers nitrogen dioxide and improves infant and child health, reducing very low birth weight, prematurity, and asthma-related emergency visits. The largest health gains occur in high-pollution areas and exceed $1.2–$4.0 billion annually.

We examine the impact of firearm violence on newborn health in the U.S. using two approaches. First, we analyze the "beltway sniper" attacks in 2002, leveraging both temporal and spatial variation to compare birth outcomes of exposed children to those unexposed. Second, we investigate in-utero exposure to mass shootings using national data. We find that exposure to these incidents during pregnancy increases the likelihood of very low-birthweight and very premature birth. These events carry a significant economic burden, with the beltway sniper attacks costing at least $155 million and mass shootings resulting in annual costs exceeding $75 million.