Peter Nilsson

Peter Nilsson is a Professor of Economics at the Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) at Stockholm University, a Visiting Professor at Linnaeus University, and a research fellow at IFAU, the Uppsala Center for Labor Studies, and CESifo in Munich. His research focuses on labor, health, and environmental economics, with particular expertise in using natural experiments to examine causal relationships between policy interventions and individual outcomes across the lifespan.

Nilsson's research program spans three interconnected domains. His labor economics work investigates unemployment insurance design, corporate governance, and workplace behavior dynamics, with significant contributions to understanding optimal benefit timing and risk-based selection in social insurance. In health economics, he has conducted groundbreaking research on early-life exposures, including studies on lead exposure effects, prenatal alcohol exposure consequences, and air pollution impacts on child development. His environmental economics research examines transportation policy effects on air quality and public health, demonstrating how congestion pricing can reduce pollution and improve child health outcomes.

Analysis of Nilsson's publication trajectory reveals a methodological consistency in leveraging administrative data and natural experiments to address policy-relevant questions. His recent work shows increasing integration of big data approaches with traditional economic analysis, particularly through his affiliation with the Linnaeus University Centre for Equality of Opportunity and Big Data Policy Analysis. A notable trend is his growing focus on environmental health economics, connecting transportation policy with health outcomes through rigorous causal identification.

• Associate Editor, Economic Journal (since October 2021)
• Contributor to Swedish Corona Commission's second interim report
• Testimony provider for Connecticut HB-5045 on lead exposure reduction

Nilsson maintains active research collaborations across institutions, evidenced by his multi-institutional co-authorships. His policy engagement extends beyond traditional academic work, with direct contributions to governmental policy discussions on environmental health and social insurance design. He has developed frameworks for evaluating second-best optimal policies, as demonstrated in his recent work on road pricing with vehicle exemptions.

Nilsson leads research within the Linnaeus University Centre for Equality of Opportunity and Big Data Policy Analysis, which conducts cutting-edge research using large-scale administrative data to examine equality of opportunity. His work environment supports interdisciplinary collaboration between economists, data scientists, and policy analysts focused on translating research findings into actionable policy recommendations.