Match-Specific Quality in Education
Despite dramatic expansions in access to schooling in low-income countries, learning levels remain low. For example, in rural Pakistan, 25% of primary school students don’t experience any test score gains over the course of year. This has led to substantial interest by policymakers and researchers alike in interventions such as teacher training that aim to […]
The Intergeneration Impact of the Freedman’s Bank Failure
In the U.S. today, there exist large racial disparity in economic outcomes. In wealth, the median white household had more than ten times the wealth of the median African American household. Addressing the racial gap in economic outcomes is a particularly pressing issue as studies have shown that these gaps are persistent. Compared to white […]
Within the Economics department, many faculty have research that addresses issues of diversity and inequality. Here are some examples of papers written or published in recent years.
Upstream and Downstream Impacts of College Merit-Based Financial Aid for Low-Income Students: Ser Pilo Paga in Colombia
By Juliana Londoño-Vélez, Catherine Rodríguez and Fabio Sánchez How does financial aid affect postsecondary enrollment, college choice, and student composition? We present new evidence based on a large-scale program available to high-achieving, low-income students for attending high-quality colleges in Colombia. RD estimates show financial aid eligibility raised immediate enrollment by 56.5 to 86.5 percent, depending […]
Quality of Classroom Interactions and the Demographic Divide: Evidence From the Measures of Effective Teaching Study
By Olivia Osei-Twumasi and Bernardette J. Pinetta Using data from six urban school districts, we examine the relationship between the quality of interactions in the classroom (measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System [CLASS] framework) and the racial match or mismatch between teachers and the students in their classes. We find that White teachers have […]
Changes in between-group Inequality: Computers, Occupations, and International Trade
By Ariel Burstein, Eduardo Morales and Jonathan Vogel We provide a unifying framework to quantify the impact of several determinants of changes in US between-group inequality. We use an assignment framework with many labor groups, equipment types, and occupations in which changes in inequality are driven by changes in workforce composition, occupation demand, computerization, and […]
Felipe Goncalves
Assistant Professor of Economics
“My commitment to becoming an economist grew out of my interest in issues of race in America. I discovered economics in high school in Alabama when studying the debate over affirmative action. I encountered an article by two economists arguing that the discussion around affirmative action ignored how the intentions of various proposed policies differed from the likely outcomes they would generate. I was drawn in by their appeal to thinking about individuals’ incentives and understanding the empirical realization of policy. I was amazed by the tools economics offered to make clear and falsifiable statements about politically charged topics. Ever since, my interest in economics has been based on its value for understanding important social issues related to race and inequality.”
