Why Don't Struggling Students Do Their Homework? In a new study we use a field experiment to identify a structural model of learning. We find that low productivity, not low motivation, is the stronger predictor of academic struggles. Study is available here: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/framed...

New from @nber.org: Study in Mexico shows moving away from violence to safer areas (in the context of drug wars) leads to academic gains for elementary-aged students. www.nber.org/papers/w34270

New @nber.org working paper from HCEO member Janet Currie et al. finds that higher electric vehicle adoption improves air quality and leads to reductions in premature births, low birth weight, and asthma-related ER visits through age 5. www.nber.org/papers/w34278

HCEO member Svetlana Pashchenk explores the relative importance of different motivations for savings over the life cycle in a new working paper with coauthor Ponpoje Porapakkarm. hceconomics.uchicago.edu/research/wor...

Using longitudinal administrative data covering all North Carolina public school students to document five facts about first-generation academic excellence gaps, from Uditi Karna, John A. List, Andrew Simon, and Haruka Uchida https://www.nber.org/papers/w34228

A new @nber.org working paper from HCEO member Parag Pathak and colleagues compares three different school choice admissions systems. www.nber.org/papers/w34207

Labor force participation rebounded more slowly post-COVID in states hit harder by the pre-pandemic opioid crisis, HCEO member Nezih Guner shows in a new working paper. Slower recovery was linked to more people leaving the workforce due to disability. hceconomics.uchicago.edu/research/wor...

Neighborhoods matter much less to a child’s success than what their parents do, @heckmanequation.bsky.social & Sadegh Eshaghnia argue, debunking the "ZIP code is destiny" idea. In reality, better outcomes are due to attributes & actions of parents who self-sort into neighborhoods. bit.ly/469WWIR

New article out! With Laurenz Bärtsch, I examine the effects of a German parental leave reform. The reform increased maternal part-time work during the first 12 months after birth — but interestingly, we find no long-term impact on employment or wages.👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Interesting findings on quality of telemedicine vs. in-person care from HCEO member Paul Gertler and colleagues: www.nber.org/papers/w34185

Can research sway edtech adoption? A study by Daniela Bresciani Andaluz, @arielkalil.bsky.social (Harris Policy), Michelle Michelini & @rohenshah.bsky.social finds mixed effects—evidence shapes educators’ choices differently by role. Read the research brief here: ow.ly/xC0o50WNJ5e

New NBER working paper on optimal school system and curriculum design from HCEO member Parag Pathak (@prof_parag) and coauthor Glenn Ellison. www.nber.org/papers/w34091

Policymakers must invest in programs that reflect children's contexts and which focus on the drivers of long-term success, HCEO's James J. Heckman (@heckmanequation.bsky.social) and Alison Baulos argue in this book extract. www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/feat...

Don’t forget: "Parents' Day & Evidence on the Role of Partnership” webinar today at 2 p.m. Central. Professor Tamara McGavock and Dr. Richard Reeves will share evidence on the vital role parents play. Register here: uchicago.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

“We have never established that good child care belongs among the pantheon of American values.” So true! The first 5 years are the most rapid period of brain development and the foundation for, well, everything. Great interview here with @ehaspel.bsky.social. hechingerreport.org/why-american...

ICYMI: New work from The Heckman Equation, Colleen P. Loughlin & Haihan Tian shows that participating in high school or college athletics & intermural sports has a positive impact on life outcomes such as HS & college graduation and wages after schooling is completed. www.nber.org/papers/w34046

Interested in early intervention, family outcomes, supporting parents, or gender equality? Don’t miss this Heckman Equation webinar Monday, July 28. Professor Tamara McGavock and Dr. Richard Reeves will share evidence on the vital role parents play. Register here: uchicago.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Head Start improves life outcomes because it builds multiple skills, HCEO’s @heckmanequation.bsky.social and @Alison Baulos tell Second Wave Michigan. Early learning within nurturing relationships builds skills that deliver positive outcomes throughout life. www.secondwavemedia.com/features/60-...

1000 low income adults were randomly selected to receive $1000/month for 3 years, with a control group receiving $50/month over that same period. Many of them had children in the household. How did it affect how they parented and their kids’ outcomes? www.nber.org/papers/w34040

New from @heckmanequation.bsky.social Colleen P. Loughlin & Haihan Tian: Participating in high school or college athletics and intermural sports has a positive impact on life outcomes such as high school & college graduation and wages after schooling is completed. www.nber.org/papers/w34046

Thrilled to share the cover of my upcoming book, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. @flatironbooks.bsky.social, Sept 23! Containing 15 years of research & my personal story. Preorder links, book talks, & newsletter here! corinnelow.com/book

Assessing the quality of Chinese rural schools by extracting the differential labor market earnings of rural migrant workers, from Eric A. Hanushek, Le Kang, Xueying Li, and Lei Zhang https://www.nber.org/papers/w34005

"Does intergenerational occupational mobility impact health and well-being net of occupational origins and destinations?" Hyeyun Jeong, Jiahui Xu, John Robert Warren, Liying Luo, Eric Grodsky, and Chandra Muller www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New from HCEO member Eric Hanushek in @nber.org working papers: www.nber.org/papers/w34005

Interested in gender equality, household labor, & family outcomes? Join ‪@heckmanequation.bsky.social‬ July 28 for a webinar highlighting evidence on parents’ vital role in family health & economic potential, with @tamaramcgavock.bsky.social‬ and Richard Reeves. uchicago.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Economics & Child Care: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go? I appreciated the chance to analyze the issues and options with a great groups of economists and child development and policy leaders. Here's the report. #EconSky #PolicySky www.childcareaware.org/economics-an...

I wrote for Columbia University Press: I would like to say that whether to engage with the public is a career choice reasonably left to the individual scholar. In today’s world, I don’t think so. Everyone needs to find a way to express how our work matters. cupblog.org/2025/07/10/w...

Identifying the effect of subtitling in comparing English to math skills in European countries that do and do not use subtitles, from Frauke Baumeister, Eric A. Hanushek, and Ludger Woessmann https://www.nber.org/papers/w33984

Interesting findings from HCEO member @Eric Hanushek: out-of-school learning is an important part of developing English language skills — and subtitled TV content provides a bigger boost than dubbing. www.nber.org/papers/w33984

Very clear article discussing our @beckerfriedman.bsky.social / @nber.org working paper and other aspects of healthcare job growth. The full paper together with @nealemahoney.bsky.social @siepr.bsky.social @kevinrinz.bsky.social @victoriaudalova.bsky.social is here: gottlieb.ca/papers/Healt...

CUNY's ACE program raised BA completion. An analysis finds ACE yields $48K in net social benefits per participant—rising to $130K when intergenerational benefits are included, from Scott-Clayton, Garfinkel, Ananat, Collyer, Hartley, Koutavas, Wang, and Wimer https://www.nber.org/papers/w33956

I am grateful to Ed for his mentorship and to SAET for inviting me to give this lecture.

@cuny.edu's ACE program — designed to boost bachelor’s degree completion --pays off with net social benefits >$48,000 over a participant’s lifetime from higher earnings & labor force attachment, better health, lower public transfers, and benefits to the next generation. www.nber.org/papers/w33956

In a new working paper, HCEO member Zhixiu Yu7 and coauthor Abdoulaye Ndiaye model retirement dynamics and find that increasing the retirement age may not be the best way to stabilize social security systems. More flexible policies can improve welfare. hceconomics.uchicago.edu/research/wor...

Expansion of full-day kindergarten availability was responsible for nearly a quarter of the growth in employment of mothers with kindergarten-aged children between 1992 and 2022. www.nber.org/papers/w33948

🚨🚨🚨Blockbuster paper out today! Bear with me as I explain why this one is so important. 🤔 The *economic* anger about immigration is based on the false notion that immigrants take jobs or lower wages. A major misunderstanding behind this view is that immigrants only increase the supply of labor.

New @nberpubs: "The Labor Supply Curve is Upward Sloping: The Effects of Immigrant-Induced Demand Shocks" www.nber.org/papers/w3393... "We find large, positive, and persistent effects of [immigrant] demand exposure to EU expansion on native worker income."

New from HCEO member @davidauto.bsky.social in @NBER : a framework resolves the puzzle of why routine task automation has lowered employment but often raised wages in routine, task-intensive occupations. www.nber.org/papers/w33941

Great to see important work on gender norms in economics from HCEO members @shellyjlundberg.bsky.social, @maltesandner.bsky.social and more — coedited by @emmatominey.bsky.social

My new book RAISING A NATION: 10 REASONS EVERY AMERICAN HAS A STAKE IN CHILD CARE FOR ALL is available for pre-order! www.amazon.com/dp/0197799299/ Also, if you email your preorder receipt to raisinganationbook at gmail dot com, you'll get a free 6-month subscription to my Family Frontier substack.

Congrats to our forward-thinking HCEO member @s-stantcheva.bsky.social!

New from @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social The 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is here! This annual report uses national and state data across four domains to assess how kids and families are doing in each state. Check out the link below to download the full report and learn more. bit.ly/2025KCDB-BS

Health insurance saves lives, HCEO member Bruce Meyer shows in recent work with Angela Wyse. And other research backs that up. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

New work from CEHD visiting scholar Tamara McGavock et al. shows that when fathers share in household responsibilities, both parents reported better mental health. To all the dads out there, your care counts. The science backs you up. Happy Father’s Day! drive.google.com/file/d/1572X...

“Studies show that more generous state policies around cash benefits — such as tax credits, minimum wage, welfare payments or health care —  are linked to lower rates of child maltreatment, and child neglect in particular.”

There is a fundamental disconnect between the K-12 public school system and the labor market demands faced by parents. Before age 5, after 3:00pm, and during the summer, parents are on their own to find a safe place for their children. I propose a solution: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Excited to take part in the upcoming workshop on the #economics of #maternal and #infant outcomes at City St George, University of London! www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Basic income support may lead to only a short-term reduction in employment. New work from HCEO member Jorge Luis Garcia et al. shows that recipients receive basic income, take time off work, address health needs, and, subsequently, reintegrate into employment. www.nber.org/papers/w33891