Research Fields

Labor Economics, Economics of Education.

Published and Forthcoming Articles

“Improving the Signal Quality of Grades,” (with Adam Chilton, Peter Joy, and Kyle Rozema).  Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, accepted.

“What do course offerings imply about university preferences?”  Journal of Labor Economics, forthcoming.

“The signal quality of grades across academic fields.”  Journal of Applied Econometrics, 34(4) (June/July, 2019): 566-587.

“The effects of Greek affiliation on academic performance,” with Andrew De Donato.  Economics of Education Review, 57 (April, 2017): 41-51.

Working Papers

“Equilibrium Grading Policies with Implications for Female Interest in STEM Courses,” (with Thomas Ahn, Peter Arcidiacono, and Amy Hopson).  Second R&R at Econometrica.

We show that stricter grading policies in STEM courses reduce STEM enrollment, especially for women. To show this, we estimate a model of student demand for courses and optimal effort choices given professor grading policies. Professor grading policies are treated as equilibrium objects that in part depend on student demand for courses. Restrictions on grading policies that equalize average grades across classes reduce the STEM gender gap and increase overall enrollment in STEM classes.