Using detailed data from North Carolina, we examine the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools as well as the impact of a policy designed to reduce absences. The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: when schools are ranked by the fraction of students...

We use data on statewide end-of-course tests in North Carolina to examine the relationship between teacher credentials and student achievement at the high school level. We find compelling evidence that teacher credentials, particularly licensure and certification, affects student achievement in...

Charitable contributions made by individuals constitute one of the principal sources of finance for the vast nonprofit sector in the United States. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the apparent incongruity between giving and the usual kind of selfish behavior portrayed in economics textbooks,...

This paper summarizes the principal empirical findings and major arguments contained in Buying the Best: Cost Escalation in Elite Higher Education (Princeton University Press, 1996). Using detailed unpublished data on expenditures, faculty teaching, class size, and other items, the study focuses...

Using detailed data from North Carolina, we examine the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools, as well as the impact of an absence disincentive policy. The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: schools in the poorest quartile averaged almost one...

The first chapter of my thesis develops and estimates a dynamic structural partial equilibrium model of schooling and work decisions.  The estimated model explicitly accounts for the simultaneous choice of enrolling in school and working.  It also allows for endogenous leisure choices,...

In this dissertation, I develop empirical methods, built on the recent advances in industrial organization, to study charitable giving and fundraising in the charity market. In the first essay, we propose a multiple discrete choice model with differentiated charitable products and estimate the...