Though randomized control trials continue to serve as the “gold standard” of causal
inference, they are neither feasible nor desirable in numerous instances. Even in the …

We study how the recent housing boom and bust affected college enrollment during the
2000s. We exploit cross-city variation in local housing booms, which improved labor market …

This paper examines how the pandemic impacted the enrollment patterns, fields of study,
and academic outcomes of students in the California Community College System, the …

In 2007, Washington adopted the Student Achievement Initiative, a statewide performance
accountability system designed to improve retention rates and degree productivity among …

Career technical education (CTE) programs at community colleges are increasingly seen as
an attractive alternative to four-year colleges, yet little systematic evidence exists on the …

This article develops a model of crime in which human capital increases the opportunity cost
of crime from foregone work and expected costs associated with incarceration. Older, more …

The Great Recession heightened a growing conflict in the United States between expanding
enrollments in postsecondary education and contracting public budget support. Weak labor …

Nearly 60 percent of college students today are women. Using longitudinal data on a
nationally representative cohort of eighth grade students in 1988, I examine two potential …

Economists have recently argued recessions play a useful role in fostering growth. Yet a
major source of growth, R&D, is procyclical. This paper argues one reason for procyclical …

The authors provide background on the history and development of community colleges in
the United States in the last half century and survey available evidence on the impacts of …