Gatton Research Excellence Series

Presented by Isaiah Sheth

This study assesses the health risks of water pollution caused by tropical cyclones, a threat that will likely become more intense with climate change. Using individual birth records and water quality measurements from Florida between 2013 and 2021, I estimate the effect of cyclones impacting drinking water sources on water pollution and infant health. Identification of the causal effect relies on the random timing and path of storms, which allows me to compare exposed and unexposed births for the same mother. I then differentiate between residential and source exposure to isolate water pollution as a mechanism by which cyclones affect health. My results imply that source exposure to cyclones increased detection of coliform bacteria by 17% and preterm births by 5%. Results are robust to various threats to identification such as the comparability of exposed and unexposed mothers or selection based upon exposure. My estimates imply a health cost of exposure of between $417 and $476 million a year from 2013 - 2021. These findings illustrate the extent to which climate change can threaten health by increasing water pollution.

Presented by Jackie Zeyang Ju

Jackie Zeyang Ju will present his research testing whether stakeholder orientation measured by the adoption of state constituency statutes affects the information environment of non-owner stakeholders. This research is coauthored with Dr. Hong Xie (Kentucky) and Dr. Jennifer Tucker (Florida). The information item of our interest is a company’s disclosure of major customer names because this information is typically desired by non-owner stakeholders, but the disclosure would incur proprietary costs to shareholders. The study shows a significant increase in the disclosure of major customer identities by firms incorporated in states that have adopted the statutes relative to firms incorporated elsewhere. The effect is stronger for firms that rely more upon suppliers, employees, or creditors (especially public debtholders). Overall, the empirical evidence suggests a serendipitous legal nudge toward non-owner stakeholders results in increased corporate disclosure desired by these stakeholders.

Presented by Diane Kang

Despite the fact that women are increasingly well represented in organizations, there is convincing evidence suggesting that women are underrepresented in leadership positions. One reason for this state of affairs that has received growing attention has to do with the kinds of informal (e.g., friendship) networks that women build in the workplace. Informal networks matter because they both influence access to resources valuable for the enactment of leadership and because they are used as a signal by others in attributing leadership to some people and not others. In this research, we examine the question: how does the choice of same-gender friends at work shape the leadership reputations of women relative to those of men? Analysis of field data from a U.S.-based retail bank revealed that men with gender-homophilous friendship networks received the most leadership nominations, whereas women benefited from gender-heterophilous friendship networks. However, women’s preference for same-gender friends was negatively related to receiving leadership nominations from men (but not from women), suggesting that a mechanism underlying these effects may be rooted in men’s cognitive reactions to women’s gender homophily. A vignette-based experiment revealed that, among male observers, concerns about potential gender-based favoritism by women mediated the effect of perceived women’s homophily on attributions of leadership. By understanding the mechanisms that underlie how women's friendship networks influence their reputation for leadership, organizations can develop better strategies to promote women's leadership at work.

Presented by Spencer Stone

Spencer's presentation will highlight how brokers impact borrower rates in the US residential mortgage market. He finds that when borrowers use brokers—as opposed to working directly with lenders—their rates are significantly lower. These results hold even when comparing observably similar applicants from the same lender, only one used a broker. He estimates that the effects of using a broker are much larger than the impacts of borrower search intensity.