Research
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My interest in economics emerged from my love for math, a high school internship in engineering, and my first macroeconomics course. In combination, these experiences helped me realize that economics is the more exciting application of mathematics than engineering. Through my undergraduate schooling and experiences, I became more interested in poverty and inequality at the micro level. Graduate school has taught me to think beyond "what are the causes and consequences of inequality," to "what are effective programs and policies that can overcome disparities and for whom." Broadly, my research is related to combating poverty and inequality through child welfare and education policy.
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Publications
- Prettyman, A. (2024). States of Opportunity for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care. Contemporary Economic Policy.
- Bailey, M. J. Bart, L., Prettyman, A., Lang, V. W., Dalton, V. (2024). Who Is Financially Constrained in Their Choice of Contraceptive Method? Lessons from M-CARES. American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 114: 1-7.
- Bailey, M. J., Lin, P. Z., Mohammed, A. S., & Prettyman, A. (2024). The Effects of the Great Depression on Children’s Intergenerational Mobility. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 10(1), 32-56.
- Prettyman, A. (2024). Underreporting child maltreatment during the pandemic: Evidence from Colorado. Children and Youth Services Review, 156, 107342.
- Musaddiq, T., Prettyman, A. & Smith J. (2023). Using Existing School Messaging Platforms to Inform Parents about Their Child’s Attendance, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, DOI: 10.1080/19345747.2023.2264841
- Bailey, M. J., Lin, P. Z., Mohammed, A. S, Mohnen, P., Murray, J., Zhang, M. & Prettyman, A. (2023). The creation of LIFE-M: The Longitudinal, Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-Database project, Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, DOI: 10.1080/01615440.2023.2239699
Working Papers
Child Welfare
My dissertation focused on the economics of child welfare, from identifying the causes and consequences of maltreatment to evaluating programs and policies designed to benefit these vulnerable youth.
Happy 18th Birthday, Now Leave: Estimating the Causal Effects of Extended Foster Care
In this paper I estimate the effect of extending foster care support and services until the age of 21 on the transition to adulthood for youth that have grown up in foster care. I use a national survey of outcome measures and exploit the geographic and temporal variation of the program roll-out. I find evidence that extended foster care reduces hardships, such as homelessness and incarceration. Overall, federally-funded extended foster care has stronger effects than state-funded extended foster care. I also find that extended foster care primarily helps youth that were living with a foster family (as opposed to in a group home) prior to turning 18. (Working Paper) (Legislation Data)
In this paper I estimate the effect of extending foster care support and services until the age of 21 on the transition to adulthood for youth that have grown up in foster care. I use a national survey of outcome measures and exploit the geographic and temporal variation of the program roll-out. I find evidence that extended foster care reduces hardships, such as homelessness and incarceration. Overall, federally-funded extended foster care has stronger effects than state-funded extended foster care. I also find that extended foster care primarily helps youth that were living with a foster family (as opposed to in a group home) prior to turning 18. (Working Paper) (Legislation Data)
Child Maltreatment Referrals and Mandatory Reporting Laws
In this paper I create a state panel of mandatory reporter job classifications, child maltreatment referrals and reports, case depositions, and child population from 2004 to 2017 to determine how changes in child maltreatment reporting respond to changes in mandatory reporters. Using a linear time trends model with state and time fixed effects, I find that increasing the number of jobs classified as mandatory reporters increases screened-in reports by 4 percent. However, most of these changes are driven by changes in unsubstantiated reports. (draft available upon request)
In this paper I create a state panel of mandatory reporter job classifications, child maltreatment referrals and reports, case depositions, and child population from 2004 to 2017 to determine how changes in child maltreatment reporting respond to changes in mandatory reporters. Using a linear time trends model with state and time fixed effects, I find that increasing the number of jobs classified as mandatory reporters increases screened-in reports by 4 percent. However, most of these changes are driven by changes in unsubstantiated reports. (draft available upon request)
Education
My other research projects relate to education economics and policy. In my opinion, education is an important vector through which poverty and inequality can be reduced.
Are all gains from Supplemental Instruction due to selection bias? (with Seth Gitter, Melissa Groves, Raquel Frye, and Lucienne Karszen)
To assist students with the rigorous coursework in introductory-level economics courses, we implemented Supplemental Instruction, a proven approach in STEM courses. Supplemental Instructors (SIs) are upper-level undergraduate students, matched to faculty, who attend classes and hold weekly tutoring sessions. The program began in academic year (AY) 2021-22 with just one SI and has grown to seven SIs across 26 sections of the introductory microeconomics and statistics courses. This study uses administrative data and two econometric methods to evaluate the causal impact of SIs on DFW rates and grades. Our goal is to evaluate the program’s potential to address student performance, which may improve retention in the major and university. (draft available upon request)
A Second Chance at Passing: Impacts of a Scholarship for Students Retaking Principles of Microeconomics (with Alisha Hancock, Chris Boyd-Leon, Seth Gitter, and Melissa Groves)
Introductory economics courses have high failure rates, and students who repeat courses do not necessarily perform better the subsequent time, which can negatively impact student retention. We evaluate whether a financial incentive of $1,000 improves pass rates and grades among students retaking Principles of Microeconomics. Eligible students were 36 to 87 percent more likely to pass, depending on their awareness of the opportunity. Consequently, they earned significantly better grades. These results provide new evidence that a scholarship for students retaking difficult introductory courses can have large, positive effects on student performance. (draft available upon request)
To assist students with the rigorous coursework in introductory-level economics courses, we implemented Supplemental Instruction, a proven approach in STEM courses. Supplemental Instructors (SIs) are upper-level undergraduate students, matched to faculty, who attend classes and hold weekly tutoring sessions. The program began in academic year (AY) 2021-22 with just one SI and has grown to seven SIs across 26 sections of the introductory microeconomics and statistics courses. This study uses administrative data and two econometric methods to evaluate the causal impact of SIs on DFW rates and grades. Our goal is to evaluate the program’s potential to address student performance, which may improve retention in the major and university. (draft available upon request)
A Second Chance at Passing: Impacts of a Scholarship for Students Retaking Principles of Microeconomics (with Alisha Hancock, Chris Boyd-Leon, Seth Gitter, and Melissa Groves)
Introductory economics courses have high failure rates, and students who repeat courses do not necessarily perform better the subsequent time, which can negatively impact student retention. We evaluate whether a financial incentive of $1,000 improves pass rates and grades among students retaking Principles of Microeconomics. Eligible students were 36 to 87 percent more likely to pass, depending on their awareness of the opportunity. Consequently, they earned significantly better grades. These results provide new evidence that a scholarship for students retaking difficult introductory courses can have large, positive effects on student performance. (draft available upon request)
LIFE-M & M-CARES
Some other current research projects relate to other policy-relevant areas, such as intergenerational mobility and reproductive health.
Does Increasing Financial Access to Contraception in the U.S. Reduce Undesired Pregnancies? Evidence from the M-CARES Randomized Control Trial at Two Years (with Martha J. Bailey, Emilia Brito, Deniz Gorgulu, Kelsey Figone, Vanessa Wanner Lang, and Vanessa Dalton) Conditionally accepted at American Economic Review: Insights.
How Costs Limit Contraceptive Use among Low-Income Women in the U.S.: A Randomized Control Trial (with Martha J. Bailey, Vanessa Wanner Lang, Iris Vrioni, Lea J. Bart, Daniel Eisenberg, Paula Fomby, Jennifer Barber, and Vanessa Dalton)
We use an RCT to understand how cost sharing at Title X providers impacts contraceptive uptake. Receiving a voucher that covers the cost of contraception increases birth control use by 40% and LARC use three-fold, suggesting these women are highly constrained by out-of-pocket costs for birth control. (NBER Working Paper)
How Costs Limit Contraceptive Use among Low-Income Women in the U.S.: A Randomized Control Trial (with Martha J. Bailey, Vanessa Wanner Lang, Iris Vrioni, Lea J. Bart, Daniel Eisenberg, Paula Fomby, Jennifer Barber, and Vanessa Dalton)
We use an RCT to understand how cost sharing at Title X providers impacts contraceptive uptake. Receiving a voucher that covers the cost of contraception increases birth control use by 40% and LARC use three-fold, suggesting these women are highly constrained by out-of-pocket costs for birth control. (NBER Working Paper)
Washed Away: Lasting Effects of the Ohio Flood of 1913 (with Martha J. Bailey and Johnny Huynh)
In this paper, we use historical data, including LIFE-M, to estimate economic scarring of the Ohio Flood of 1913. We find negative wage and employment impacts for children entering labor markets (ages 15 to 19) in the aftermath of the 1913 Flood. (draft available upon request)
In this paper, we use historical data, including LIFE-M, to estimate economic scarring of the Ohio Flood of 1913. We find negative wage and employment impacts for children entering labor markets (ages 15 to 19) in the aftermath of the 1913 Flood. (draft available upon request)
Recent Media Attention
Where are they? Students go missing in shift to remote classes. Education Week. April 2020.
When schools close, vulnerable families are left in the dark. Education Week. March 2020.
Extending foster care: an interview at the 2020 AEA poster session. January 2020.
Schools try electronic messages to reduce absenteeism. Atlanta Journal Constitution. July 2019.
When schools close, vulnerable families are left in the dark. Education Week. March 2020.
Extending foster care: an interview at the 2020 AEA poster session. January 2020.
Schools try electronic messages to reduce absenteeism. Atlanta Journal Constitution. July 2019.