Quantifying, Designing and Simulating Treatments in Applied Microeconomics

Hyeonjun Hwang

This dissertation consists of three independent papers which quantify, design and simulate treatments on urban transportation, vaccination policy design and livestock trading in applied microeconomics. The first paper (Chapter 2) deals with quantifying consumer welfare from introduction of ride-hailing services represented by Uber taxi, the second paper (Chapter 3) is about dog vaccination design combining household-to-household visits with central point clinics by applying machine learning algorithm with economic theories, and the final paper (Chapter 4) handles agent-based simulation of the spread of infectious diseases due to livestock trading. Chapter 1 is an introduction to this dissertation. Chapters 2 and 3 have in common that both chapters employ a spatial modeling method and a structural estimation approach in empirical analysis. And Chapters 3 and 4 use simulation to test theoretical hypotheses through counter-factual scenarios. This dissertation applies a traditional econometric method of heterogeneous discrete choice model and a calibration method in Chapter 2 and includes non-traditional methods such as machine learning in Chapter 3 and agent-based modeling simulation in Chapter 4. Chapter 2 reveals that social welfare arising from Uber taxi originates from the unique characteristics of the ride-hailing service itself, not because the taxi price is inexpensive, so that regulations on the industry can adversely affect the welfare of consumers. Chapter 3 finds that combining direct household visits by a vaccination team and voluntary visits of households to central point clinics can save vaccination budgets rather than using only the household visit policy. The finding implies the combined policy can help eradicate dog rabies in rural African where the dog rabies still exists due to insufficient budget problems. Finally, Chapter 4 shows that even though infectious livestock can be used for trade, gains from trade as increased consumption is greater than total livestock losses due to the trade, which implies that policymakers who make livestock disease control policies need to consider other policy alternatives rather than making livestock trading prohibited.

Quantifying, Designing and Simulating Treatments in Applied Microeconomics

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