Research
Retirement, Retention, Recruitment: Evidence from a Federal Pension Policy
Under Review
I exploit a policy change on U.S. federal workers’ pension benefits to estimate the effect of pension generosity on worker retirement, retention and recruitment. The policy increased pensions by 16%-25% or approximately $111,000. There is a 30% decrease in job quits for permanent workers. However, there is little evidence that pension generosity has an effect on new hires. This suggests salience may play a role in how workers value pensions. Additionally, I find a large heterogeneous labor supply response to pension generosity. Altogether, this shows that pensions are effective in retaining workers and have important implications for workforce planning.
Disability-Based Affirmative Action: How Federal Agencies Satisfied Federal Mandates (with Glen Waddell)
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a ruling that required federal agencies to engage in disability-based affirmative action. Representation quotas were set separately for targeted and non-targeted disabilities, and for upper- and lower-level employees. With heterogeneity in the cost of accommodating different disabilities and a representation quota, up to and including a mandate to provide personal assistance services when needed, how agencies meet their quotas need not align with the spirit of the ruling. In this paper we document the pattern of hiring, retention, and separations across eight federal agencies, and show that hiring does not explain the increase in individuals with disability. Instead, there is evidence that individuals revealed their disability, specifically managers and individuals with hearing loss or vision loss.
A Second Chance at Financial Inclusion: The Impact of Repayment Plans and Incentives on Delinquent Digital Borrowers (with Alfredo Burlando, Silvia Prina, and Michael Kuhn)
Why do such a high portion of digital loans result in default? We evaluate two interventions designed to stimulate the repayment of delinquent digital loans. In a field experiment with a mobile digital lender, we will offer repayment plans and a notification of conditional eligibility for a future loan to delinquent borrowers. Using a 2x2 experimental design and administrative data from the lender, we will identify the causal impact of each intervention, on repayment rates, and future credit-seeking and repayment behavior. Using baseline and endline phone surveys, we will also identify impacts on borrower well-being, beliefs about the value of credit, and overall financial inclusion.
Is it Worth the Wait? Evidence on Anticipatory Behavior and Pension Generosity
Selection Into Motorcycling: What Can Licensing Laws Tell Us?