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The authors explore the educational response to fracking—a recent technological breakthrough in the oil and gas industry—by taking advantage of the timing of its diffusion and spatial variation in shale reserves. They show that fracking has significantly increased relative demand for less-educated male labor and increased high school dropout rates of male teens, both overall and relative to females. Estimates imply that, absent fracking, the teen male dropout rate would have been 1 percentage point lower over the period 2011–15 in the average labor market with shale reserves, implying an elasticity of school enrollment with respect to earnings below historical estimates. Fracking increased earnings and job opportunities more among young men than male teenagers, suggesting that educational decisions respond to improved earnings prospects, not just opportunity costs. Other explanations for the findings, such as changes in school quality, migration, or demographics, receive less empirical support.

I study the impact of extreme heat on the incidence of harassment and discrimination using data on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) charges brought forward by US Postal Service (USPS) workers. I analyze more than 800,000 EEO charges filed between FYs 2004 and 2019. I find that heat stress experienced on days when maximum temperatures exceed 90 °F increases EEO incidents by roughly 5% relative to days when temperatures are between 60 °F and 70 °F. The uncovered effect is widespread across the USPS and appears to be driven by changes in the number of incidents rather than in their reporting.

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I study the impact of financial stress on the incidence of harassment and discrimination using Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) charges brought forward by U.S. Postal Service workers. An analysis of more than 800,000 EEO charges filed between 2004 and 2019 demonstrates that financial stress experienced in the second week of the pay cycle increases EEO incidents by about 5% compared with the first week. Further analyses suggest that the uncovered effects are driven by changes in the number of incidents rather than in their reporting. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: This work was supported by the Laboratory for Economic Analysis and Policy at Harvard University and a James M. and Cathleen D. Stone PhD Scholar fellowship from the Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality & Social Policy. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4815 .

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I examine the move from phone to online Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reporting at the United States Postal Service (USPS) to identify the causal impact of grievance procedure use. This shift led to a large increase in sex–based complaints at the USPS in areas with greater access to broadband. However, I observe no commensurate change in sex gaps related to turnover, hiring, and promotions. My results suggest that a 10% increase in sex–based complaints changes the female share in separations or hires by less than 1%. Increased investment in grievance procedures appears unlikely to significantly influence discrimination outcomes.