The Economics of Children and Families
Faculty Supervisor:
Project and Position Description:
This position will provide support for Professor Janet Currie's book on "The Economics of Children and Families." The book focuses on the multiple factors affecting the development of child human capital, and on the importance of child human capital investments for individuals, families, and society. Topics to be addressed include (but are not limited to) the investment paradigm, fertility decisions, economics of education, fetal and early childhood development, child health, environmental threats to children, and public policies affecting investments in children and adolescents. These topics will be approached with a strong emphasis on their role in exacerbating or ameliorating disparities in children's human capital. Duties will range from structured literature reviews, to data analysis and interpretation, to estimation of empirical models.
Requisite Skills and Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in the subject matter as well as some knowledge of labor economics, health economics, and/or public finance. The candidate will be familiar with a statistical package such as Stata or R, as well as with statistical concepts such as OLS regression, fixed effects, and possibly with instrumental variables at the level of a textbook such as "Mostly Harmless Econometrics." Previous experience using publicly-accessible micro data with information about children such as the U.S. Census, Current Population Surveys, or Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey would be a plus, as would previous experience with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software.
Special Application Instructions:
Please submit a cover letter (maximum of three pages) that discusses how your experience matches with the skills and qualifications desired. If you submit supporting materials such as a writing sample, please highlight in the cover letter which parts of the supporting materials are most relevant to demonstrating your qualifications.