Doubly Robust DID for National Parks evaluation: “just” environmental benefits, or socioeconomics impacts as well?

National Parks (NPs) and protected areas are supposed to preserve the environment and prevent the loss of biodiversity. However, having substantially incremented worldwide, they now also include many areas that are important for economic development. Also, the literature on the subject has expanded, but targeting mainly the environmental benefits. This work investigates both the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the Italian NPs of the 90s, by applying at the municipality level a Doubly Robust Difference-In-Differences estimator combined with Propensity Score Matching. The results suggest a positive effect on the environment on both the municipalities in NPs and the neighbouring ones, both in the short (2001) and medium run (2011). There are also socioeconomic effects in terms of the increase of incoming work-commuters and the number of workers employed in the tourism sector establishments.