Three essays on the welfare and social impacts of external shocks and public policies in Mexico

In this thesis I examine the welfare and social consequences associated with one economic shock and two policy interventions in Mexico. I use non-experimental approaches that exploit increased data availability as well as in-depth knowledge of the institutional background and show how germane extensions in the methodology shed light on previously unaccounted consequences and help better identify affected households. In particular, I quantify the role of quantity substitution effects in the alleviation of welfare, I estimate the effect of quality substitution on the efficiency of a taxation policy, and I document the possible consequences of an aggressive policy intervention on organized and property crime.