Research

Journal Articles

• The Effects of Financial Education on Postsecondary Education Financing (with Carly Urban) Forthcoming in Journal of Monday, Credit and Banking.  (Accepted December 2018)

• College Financing Choices and Academic Performance (with Carly Urban  and Maximilian Schmeiser) (2018) The Journal of Consumer Affairs

• "Does regulating for-profit colleges improve educational outcomes?  What we know, what we don't know, and what we need to find out."  (with Greg Gilpin) (2017) Journal of Policy Analysis and Management

• "Can targeted information affect academic performance and borrowing behavior for college students? Evidence from administrative data" (with Maximilian D. Schmeiser and Carly Urban).  Federal Reserve Working Paper 2015-075.  (2017)  Economics of Education Review. 

• “Student Loan Information Provision and Academic Choices."  (with Carly Urban  and Maximilian Schmeiser) (2016) American Economic Review: Paper and Proceedings.
• “The Impact of Family Leave Laws on Cesarean Delivery” (with Elise Hogenson and Wendy Stock) (2015) B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy. (Accepted August 25, 2015)

• "Why Has for-profit colleges' share of higher education expanded so rapidly?  Estimating the responsiveness to labor market changes." (With Greg Gilpin and Joe Saunders) (2015) Economics of Education Review.  

• “The Academic Achievement of American Indians”(with Stefanie Fischer).  (2013) Economics of Education Review.
• “Local Demand for a School Choice Policy: Evidence from the Washington Charter School Referenda.”  (With Sean Corcoran)  (2011) Education Finance and Policy.
• “Why did Education Become Publicly Funded?  Evidence from the Nineteenth Century Growth of Public Primary Schooling in the United States.”  (2009)  Journal of Economic History.
• “Why the Poor Get Fat: Weight Gain and Economic Insecurity.”Forum for Health Economics and Policy.  (2009) (With Trent Smith and Michael Barnes)
• “Incentives and Effort in the Public Sector: Have U.S. Education Reforms Increased Teachers’ Work Hours?” with Peter Kuhn. Economics of Education Review (2008).  NBER Working Paper  #11970.  IZA Discussion Paper #1412. 
• “The Political Economy of School Choice: Support for Charter Schools Across States and Districts.” with Sean Corcoran.  Journal of Urban Economics (2007).
• “No-Fault Divorce Laws and the Labor Supply of Women with and without Children.”  (With Katie Genadek and Wendy Stock.) Journal of Human Resources (2007).
• “Adjusting Teacher Salaries for the Cost of Living: The Effect on Salary Comparisons and Policy Conclusions.” Economics of Education Review (2005).
• “The Quality of Education, Educational Institutions, Cross-Country Differences in Human Capital” with Shawn Knabb.  Growth and Change (2005).
• “Why Has the Number of Teachers Per Student Risen While Teacher Quality Has Declined? The Role of Changes in the Labor Market for Women.” Journal of Urban Economics(2003).

Work in Progress