I teach courses in economics, public health, and econometrics with the goal of educating and producing informed consumers of public policy. I believe that developing an understanding of various policy landscapes and the economic theories on which they are built is key in educating the next generation of policymakers, economic scholars, and public servants.
Recent course syllabi and materials are linked below, when possible.
Recent course syllabi and materials are linked below, when possible.
INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
The Political Economy of Social Insurance
The Great Society policies of the 1960s dramatically changed the ways people living in poverty interacted with the federal government, but the benefits associated with these policies seem to have stagnated. Since 1965, the annual poverty rate in the United States has hovered between 10% and 15%, though far more than 15% of Americans experience poverty at some point in their lives. In this course, we will study public policies that, explicitly or implicitly, have as a goal improving the well-being of the poor in the United States. These policies include social insurance programs such as Unemployment Insurance; safety net programs such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, and housing assistance; education programs such as Head Start and public education; and parts of the tax code, including the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. We will explore the design and function of these programs, with a particular focus on the context in which they were developed. What political incentives and constraints have strung up our social safety net? How do these factors affect the goals of policy, the trade-offs inherent to the policy’s design, and why poverty has not sustained a downward trend in the United States? Through careful consideration, students will learn how to communicate a path forward for public policy which accounts for theoretical economic expectations and the reality of political constraints in policy design.
Spring 2024 Syllabus
Spring 2024 Syllabus
The Economics of Health and Healthcare
What is health? How do we improve it? Health is an essential component of individual well-being and a fundamental input to a productive economy, making its production a societal priority, as well as an individual one. This course examines the economics of the supply and demand for health through applied microeconomic analysis. The course focuses on three broad areas: the inputs to health and the demand for health care; the structure and functioning of health care markets and the roles of key institutions; and the role of public policy in furthering individual and population health. Special attention will be devoted to topics of current policy interest, including health disparities, problems of health care costs and cost containment, health insurance reform and the Affordable Care Act, the role of public health interventions, and drug development and regulation.
Spring 2024 Syllabus
Spring 2024 Syllabus
Econometrics
An introduction to the theory and practice of applied quantitative economic analysis. This course familiarizes students with the strengths and weaknesses of the basic empirical methods used by economists to evaluate economic theory against economic data. Emphasizes both the statistical foundations of regression techniques and the practical application of those techniques in empirical research, with a focus on understanding when a causal interpretation is warranted. Computer exercises will provide experience in using the empirical methods, but no previous computer experience is expected. Highly recommended for students considering graduate training in economics or public policy.
Fall 2024 Syllabus (coming soon)
Fall 2024 Syllabus (coming soon)
Empirical Methods for Political Economy
This course introduces students to common empirical tools used in policy analysis and implementation. Students will develop skills in statistical literacy to become critical consumers of public policy-relevant research. The emphasis in the course is split between an intuitive understanding of statistical foundations, and applications in data visualization and science communication. Through hands-on work with data and critical assessment of existing empirical social scientific research, students will develop the ability to choose and employ the appropriate tool for a particular research problem, and to understand the limitations of the techniques. Topics to be covered include basic principles of probability; effective data visualization; statistical inference and hypothesis testing; and multiple regression analysis. A particular focus will be placed on understanding causality, the challenges of estimating causal relationships, and the design of evidence-based policy. Throughout the course, the focus will be on public policy applications relevant to the fields of political science, sociology, and public health, as well as to economics.
Fall 2024 Syllabus (coming soon)
Fall 2024 Syllabus (coming soon)
Tulane university
New Orleans, LA
Health Economics (graduate)
This course introduces basic economic concepts and analytical tools used to address questions concerning the efficient and effective production of health and health services in the context of a market economy. The course emphasizes the application of economic tools of analysis to the management of health-related organizations and to health policy development. Students will study current research on the health care industry and the ways in which economic analysis is employed in the development of public policy on issues related to population health and healthcare.
Offered by Department of Health Policy and Management to students earning a Master's in Health Administration (MHA)
Offered by Department of Health Policy and Management to students earning a Master's in Health Administration (MHA)
Cornell prison education program
Ithaca, NY
Principles of Microeconomics
This course equips students with the fundamentals of microeconomics economic theory as they relate to market capitalism. The first section of this course covers the basic theory of economic markets and the underpinnings of economic thinking. The classes in this section cover supply and demand, the concept of utility at the firm and individual level, and the basics of economic optimization. The second section of this course will cover how economic models are used to understand the behavior of markets, how market structures affect these models, and the basics of government intervention. The classes in this section cover market types, competition, monopolies and oligopolies, market regulation, and the economic basis for environmental protection and regulations. The third section of this course will provide a framework to understand how economic theory and models may not adequately explain or account for the realities of market capitalism. The classes in this section cover market failures and how policy interventions relate to inequality, taxation, social insurance, and topics in applied microeconomics.
Taught in coordination with Cayuga Community College to students at Auburn Correctional Facility, Auburn, NY.
Taught in coordination with Cayuga Community College to students at Auburn Correctional Facility, Auburn, NY.
TEACHING ASSISTANT
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
- Multiple Regression Analysis // Microeconomics for Management (graduate) // Economics and Environmental Policy
Indiana University - Bloomington, IN
- Introduction to the US Healthcare System // Principles of Anatomy & Physiology