Research

Fields of Interest

Economics of Education, Public Economics, Crime Economics, Labor Economics, and Applied Microeconomics

Working Paper(s) and Work(s) in Progress

• “The Lifelong Criminal Consequences of Kindergarten Cutoff Dates”
  
  Abstract

  I exploit exogenous variation in kindergarten entry cutoff dates based on date of birth and use administrative prison data with a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to measure their effects on adult crime. Kindergarten entry cutoffs create quasi-random variation in school starting age, with children born just after the cutoff delayed entry by one year, reducing required schooling under age-based compulsory schooling laws. I draw on Florida and Illinois, two states that gradually moved their cutoff dates earlier by one month each year during the 1980s. Exploiting changes in school entry cutoffs, I link birth date to lifelong incarceration outcomes and find that delayed entry increases crime among White females by at least 16%, consistent with literature on higher returns to education for women. Using birth certificate and ACS data, I show this effect reflects an increase in the crime rate rather than changes in births or migration across the cutoff.

• “Math Curriculum and Occupations: Evidence from New Math”
  
  Abstract

  I study how the content of mathematics education shapes occupational outcomes, exploiting the New Math movement of the 1960s. New Math replaced arithmetic-focused K-12 instruction with abstract concepts such as set theory and formal logic, prompted by the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. I exploit variation in New Math adoption across Ohio to estimate the effect of abstract mathematics instruction on the occupational task composition. Using O*NET task measures standard in the literature, I find New Math exposure shifted workers away from calculation-intensive jobs such as bookkeepers and cashiers, with no detectable effect on wages or education. The results provide broader evidence that curriculum shape labor market outcomes independent to educational attainment, a dimension of human capital obscured by standard attainment proxies. Together, these findings constitute the first empirical analysis of the New Math movement.

• “The Effects of School District Succession on Housing Prices” with Minsoo Cho
  
  Abstract

  School district successions, which fragment existing districts into smaller, separate districts, have accelerated since 2000. Prior literature documents how these successions increase racial segregation but their effect on wealth inequality through housing markets remains an open question. We examine school district succession’s effect on housing price discrepancies across the new district border, potentially reinforcing residential segregation and compounding resource inequalities between districts. We do this using all attempted successions from 2000-2019, granular housing data, and a difference-in-discontinuities design, allowing for comparison across endogenous borders.

• “Public Presence and Crime: Evidence from NYC” with Sam Herrin

Published Paper(s)

• “NFL Quarterback Development—The Role of Competing Quarterbacks, Rookie Playing Time, and Team Quality.” The American Economist, 2025 (Written in undergrad with Brent A. Evans, Joshua D. Pitts, and Donavan Lingerfelt)
  
  Abstract

  Using data from 1994 to 2017, we consider characteristics that affect quarterback (QB) development in the National Football League. Our analysis leads to three key findings. Firstly, we show that a young QB’s career is worsened when he plays alongside a Pro Bowl QB. Secondly, we find that QB’s career outcomes are better when they are drafted by a bad team. Finally, we investigate the role of rookie playing time and find evidence that playing as a rookie reduces career outcomes. In all three cases, the effects are largest in the latter portion of a QB’s career.

Research Assistantships

Florida State University
With Dr. Jeongbin Kim Summer, 2024

Georgia College & State University
Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (MURACE) with Brent Evans Summer, 2022

Conference and Seminar Presentations

2026

• Midwestern Economic Association annual meetings Chicago, IL
• Invited to present at Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA

2025

• FSU Quantitative Economics Workshop Tallahassee, FL

2023

• Academy of Economics and Finance annual conference Orlando, FL

2022

• College of Business Research Assembly at Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA