This paper estimates the impacts of religiosity on criminal activity using a city-wide shock to religious sentiment from a 2015 Papal visit. Using daily data on all reported offences between 2010 and 2015 in Philadelphia at the census tract level and a difference-in-differences approach, we...

We evaluate a policy implemented in Chicago geared towards improving the housing stock in distressed neighborhoods. The program first led to an increase in municipal building permits for renovations and loan applications for home purchases establishing a link to actual housing improvement. Next,...