Curti Cícero, Vinicius, authorTavani, Daniele, advisorKomarek, Timothy, advisorBraunstein, Elissa, committee memberVasudevan, Ramaa, committee memberGoes, Iasmin, committee member2025-06-022025-06-022025https://hdl.handle.net/10217/241056This dissertation examines the multifaceted impacts of trade-induced economic shocks on the economic, social, and political landscapes of developing economies, with an in-depth focus on Brazil. While intensifying global demand for commodities can drive export growth and bolster local labor markets, it also presents significant challenges: reshaping productive structures, raising regulatory and property-rights concerns, and influencing local political dynamics. By integrating insights from three interrelated essays, this work enhances our understanding of how exogenous shocks reverberate across multiple dimensions of development in resource-rich contexts. The first essay investigates the impact of resource booms on export performance and structural transformation. Using a shift-share instrument that leverages heterogeneous exposure to Chinese demand following China's 2001 WTO accession, I examine how Brazil's recent commodity boom affected local economies. The findings reveal that more exposed regions experienced higher export values and greater export concentration, driven by a shift from exporting resource-based manufactures to primary products, leading to a decline in export sophistication. This movement toward raw materials --- rather than processed, higher-value-added goods --- suggests a reduction in average value added and productivity within the resource or booming sector, highlighting an additional channel through which resource booms can undermine overall productivity. Although wage growth occurred in both the primary and service sectors, primary-sector employment remained stable while manufacturing jobs contracted, aligning with a Dutch disease dynamic. There is also suggestive evidence that these manufacturing job losses coincided with a rise in likely informal activities. Overall, the results underscore the trade-offs inherent in resource booms: short-term gains in export value and sectoral wages may come at the expense of long-term development challenges. Given Brazil's similarities to other commodity exporters, these findings may reflect broader trends across developing economies. The second essay examines the relationship between the institutionalization of a renewable resource market with poorly defined property rights and local crime rates. We focus on the regulation of the donkey hide trade in Brazil, driven by foreign demand for eijao, a Traditional Chinese Medicine product. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we leverage the timing of regulatory measures alongside spatial variations in donkey populations across Brazilian municipalities to provide causal evidence that the slaughtering of free-roaming donkeys led to an increase in crime and violence. We further explore the role of market illegality, finding that the impact on crime was twice as large during periods when the trade was illegal in Brazil. Our results carry important policy implications for developing countries grappling with resource booms and weak property rights. These findings emphasize the need for effective regulation, robust monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms to mitigate the social costs associated with natural resource exploitation. The third essay explores how trade-induced economic shocks distort voter perceptions of incumbents, weakening electoral accountability. While economic voting allows citizens to reward or punish incumbents based on local economic conditions, external factors can obscure the true sources of these fluctuations. Using a game-theoretic framework and a difference-in-differences approach, I analyze the reelection prospects of Brazilian mayors from 2000 to 2020 in response to two external shocks: the legalization of genetically engineered (GE) soy seeds in 2003 and the global commodity price boom of the 2000s. The theoretical framework shows how exogenous regional economic shocks influence incumbents' electoral prospects by shaping voter perceptions of competence. Empirically, a one standard deviation increase in potential soy yield led to a five percent rise in incumbents' reelection probabilities, as voters credited local leaders for economic upturns driven by global market forces. This dynamic allows short-sighted incumbents to remain in office during booms while penalizing capable mayors during downturns, distorting the accountability mechanism. By highlighting these distortions, this essay contributes to the literature on electoral accountability in commodity-exporting countries and underscores the need to strengthen voter information and institutional resilience in emerging democracies.born digitaldoctoral dissertationsengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.economic developmentgrowthtrade-induced economic shockselectoral outcomescrimeinternational tradeText