中文摘要
本文考察工会会员身份与绝望之死之间的关系。利用各州在工作权法通过时间上的变异作为自然实验，我表明工作权法与工会会员人数下降和绝望之死增加相关。双向固定效应（TWFE）双重差分（DiD）估计表明，通过一项工作权利法与工会会员人数下降2.6个百分点以及绝望之死死亡率每10万人增加13人相关，这意味着每1,000名失去工会会员身份的工人对应大约7.5例额外的绝望之死。对机制的分析表明，死亡率上升在很大程度上由阿片类药物使用增加以及随之而来的过量死亡增加所驱动。我用两个对处理效应异质性和处理时间变异担忧具有稳健性的替代估计量的估计结果来支持TWFE结果。Callaway和Sant'Anna（2021）估计量以及Borusyak等（2024）估计量的估计结果支持TWFE发现：工作权利法减少工会会员人数并增加绝望之死。
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between union membership and deaths of despair. Using state-level variation in the timing of the adoption of right-to-work laws as a natural experiment, I show that right-to-work laws are associated with a decline in union membership and an increase in deaths of despair. Two-way fixed-effects (TWFE) difference-in-differences (DiD) estimates suggest that the adoption of a right-to-work law is associated with a 2.6 percentage point reduction in union membership and an increase in deaths of despair mortality of 13 additional persons per 100,000, implying there are approximately 7.5 additional deaths of despair for every 1,000 workers who lose union membership. An analysis of mechanisms suggests the increase in mortality is largely driven by increased opioid usage and a concomitant increase in overdose deaths. I support the TWFE results with estimates from two alternative estimators robust to concerns about treatment effect heterogeneity and variation in treatment timing. Estimates from the Callaway and Sant’Anna (2021) estimator and the Borusyak et al. (2024) estimator support the TWFE findings: right-to-work laws reduce union membership and increase deaths of despair.