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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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 - submitted) (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 - submitted) (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. (Working Paper) (Legislation Data)
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. (Working Paper) (Legislation Data)
Underreporting Child Maltreatment during the Pandemic: Evidence from Colorado
In this paper I document the decline in child maltreatment referrals and reports during the pandemic in Colorado and estimate the number of referrals going unreported. I find that thousands referrals of child maltreatment went unreported in Colorado as a result of limited interactions between children and mandatory reporters, which were brought about by pandemic-induced policy responses, like the stay-at-home order and school closings. Moreover, there is suggestive evidence that these missed children are suffering from neglect and not abuse. (Working Paper - under review)
In this paper I document the decline in child maltreatment referrals and reports during the pandemic in Colorado and estimate the number of referrals going unreported. I find that thousands referrals of child maltreatment went unreported in Colorado as a result of limited interactions between children and mandatory reporters, which were brought about by pandemic-induced policy responses, like the stay-at-home order and school closings. Moreover, there is suggestive evidence that these missed children are suffering from neglect and not abuse. (Working Paper - under review)
States of Opportunity for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
This descriptive paper explores which states effectively assist foster youth aging out of care. I use the National Youth in Transition Database and a value-added model to determine state effectiveness across a variety of outcomes, including homelessness, incarceration, parenthood, and disconnectedness. There is considerable variation in state effectiveness based on the outcome. This paper provides a launching pad for researchers and policymakers to investigate why certain states, or which policies and programs, benefit vulnerable youth more than others. (Current Draft)
This descriptive paper explores which states effectively assist foster youth aging out of care. I use the National Youth in Transition Database and a value-added model to determine state effectiveness across a variety of outcomes, including homelessness, incarceration, parenthood, and disconnectedness. There is considerable variation in state effectiveness based on the outcome. This paper provides a launching pad for researchers and policymakers to investigate why certain states, or which policies and programs, benefit vulnerable youth more than others. (Current Draft)
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.
Using Existing School Messaging Platforms to Inform Parents about Their Child's Attendance (with Tareena Musaddiq and Jonathan Smith)
In this paper we evaluate the impact of a randomized control trial designed to reduce chronic absenteeism. We sent personalized email and text messages to randomly selected parents of students on track to be chronically absent each month during the 2018/19 school year. We find that receiving these messages reduces end-of-year absences by almost one day (5%) and reduces the probability of chronic absenteeism by 7.8%. However, we also find that parents of students most in need of improved attendance are the hardest to reach. (Working Paper - R&R for Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness) (Policy Brief)
In this paper we evaluate the impact of a randomized control trial designed to reduce chronic absenteeism. We sent personalized email and text messages to randomly selected parents of students on track to be chronically absent each month during the 2018/19 school year. We find that receiving these messages reduces end-of-year absences by almost one day (5%) and reduces the probability of chronic absenteeism by 7.8%. However, we also find that parents of students most in need of improved attendance are the hardest to reach. (Working Paper - R&R for Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness) (Policy Brief)
LIFE-M & M-CARES
Some other current research projects relate to other policy-relevant areas, such as intergenerational mobility and maternal health.
The Effects of the Great Depression on Children’s Intergenerational Mobility (with Martha J. Bailey, Peter Z. Lin, and A.R. Shariq Mohammed)
This paper uses newly linked Census and Vital Statistics data to examine the role of the Great Depression in shaping the intergenerational mobility of the most upwardly mobile cohorts of the 20th century. We examine the educational and occupational mobility of over 322,000 men and women in Ohio and North Carolina. We find similar estimates of intergenerational occupational mobility for men as in other studies. A novel finding is that women’s occupational and educational mobility is similar to men’s in this period. However, examining the role of the Depression in shaping intergenerational mobility produces a more complicated picture. In North Carolina the Depression reduced intergenerational occupational mobility for men, but not for women, and not in Ohio.
(in process for RSF and available upon request)
This paper uses newly linked Census and Vital Statistics data to examine the role of the Great Depression in shaping the intergenerational mobility of the most upwardly mobile cohorts of the 20th century. We examine the educational and occupational mobility of over 322,000 men and women in Ohio and North Carolina. We find similar estimates of intergenerational occupational mobility for men as in other studies. A novel finding is that women’s occupational and educational mobility is similar to men’s in this period. However, examining the role of the Depression in shaping intergenerational mobility produces a more complicated picture. In North Carolina the Depression reduced intergenerational occupational mobility for men, but not for women, and not in Ohio.
(in process for RSF and available upon request)
The Creation of LIFE-M: The Longitudinal, Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-Database Project (with Martha J. Bailey, Peter Z. Lin, A.R. Shariq Mohammed, Paul Mohnen, Jared Murray, and Mengying Zhang)
This paper describes the creation of the Longitudinal, Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-Database (LIFE-M), a new data resource linking millions of individuals and families living in the late 19th and 20th centuries and combining vital records and decennial censuses. This combination of records provides a life-course and intergenerational perspective on the evolution of health and economic outcomes. Vital records also enable the linkage of women, because they contain a crosswalk between women’s birth (i.e., “maiden”) and married names. Our overview of the methodology includes (1) a discussion of the data structure and linking process, (2) the coverage of vital records, (3) the characteristics of the data and resulting linked samples, including linking rates, representativeness, and weights; and (4) potential uses for the data. (Working Paper - conditionally accepted at Historical Methods)
This paper describes the creation of the Longitudinal, Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-Database (LIFE-M), a new data resource linking millions of individuals and families living in the late 19th and 20th centuries and combining vital records and decennial censuses. This combination of records provides a life-course and intergenerational perspective on the evolution of health and economic outcomes. Vital records also enable the linkage of women, because they contain a crosswalk between women’s birth (i.e., “maiden”) and married names. Our overview of the methodology includes (1) a discussion of the data structure and linking process, (2) the coverage of vital records, (3) the characteristics of the data and resulting linked samples, including linking rates, representativeness, and weights; and (4) potential uses for the data. (Working Paper - conditionally accepted at Historical Methods)
Washed Away: Lasting Effects of the Ohio Flood of 1913 (with Martha J. Bailey & 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. (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. (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.
