Working papers



In press








2016



2015











2014







2013








2012


2011



2010















2008
















2007








2006






2005






2004










2003












2002








2001








2000









1999









1998
Electoral reciprocity in programmatic redistribution: Experimental evidence (with Sebastian Galiani, Nadya Hajj, Pablo Ibarrarán, and Nandita Krishnaswamy).

The effects of musical training on child development: A randomized trial of El Sistema in Venezuela (with Xiomara Alemán, Suzanne Duryea, Nancy Guerra, Rodrigo Muñoz, Marco Stampini, and Ariel Williamson). Prevention Science.


Do education and health conditions matter in a large cash transfer? Evidence from a Honduran experiment (with Fiorella Benedetti and Pablo Ibarrarán). Economic Development and Cultural Change. doi

Quantitative research methods in education finance and policy. Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy (2nd ed.).

Improving learning in primary schools of developing countries: A meta-analysis of randomized experiments. Review of Educational Research. doi [supplemental figures, online appendix, and data]

Improving middle school quality in poor countries: Evidence from the Honduran Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (with Erin Murphy-Graham, David Torres Irribarra, Claudia Aguilar, and Renán Rápalo). Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. doi

The effects of an anti-grade-inflation policy at Wellesley College (with Kristin Butcher and Akila Weerapana). Journal of Economic Perspectives. doi

Improving early-grade literacy in East Africa: Experimental evidence from Kenya and Uganda (with Adrienne Lucas, Moses Ngware, and Moses Oketch). Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. doi

The heterogeneous impact of conditional cash transfers (with Sebastian Galiani). Journal of Public Economics. doi [online appendix and data]

Giving till it helps? Alumnae giving and children’s college options (with Kristin Butcher and Caitlin Kearns). Research in Higher Education. doi

The impact of Chile's school feeding program on education outcomes. Economics of Education Review. doi

Cost-effectiveness analysis of education and health interventions in developing countries. Journal of Development Effectiveness. doi

Preschool and maternal labor outcomes: Evidence from a regression discontinuity design (with Samuel Berlinski and Sebastian Galiani). Economic Development and Cultural Change. doi

The effects of quantitative skills training on college outcomes and peers (with Kristin Butcher and Corrine Taylor). Economics of Education Review. doi

Education reforms (with Susanna Loeb). Targeting Investments in Children: Fighting Poverty When Resources Are Limited.

Empirical research methods in the economics of education. Economics of Education.

Admissions lotteries in charter schools (with Robert Olsen). Taking Measure of Charter Schools.

Native American mascots and alumni giving (with Clive Belfield). The Native American Mascot Controversy: A Handbook.

The benefits of delayed primary school enrollment: Discontinuity estimates using exact birth dates (with Joseph S. Shapiro). Journal of Human Resources.

Can schools reduce the indigenous test score gap? Evidence from Chile. Journal of Development Studies. doi

School choice, stratification, and information on school performance: Lessons from Chile (with Miguel Urquiola and Emiliana Vegas). Economía. doi

Evaluating multigrade school reform in Latin America. Comparative Education. doi

Quantitative research methods in education finance and policy. Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy.

The achievement of indigenous students in Guatemalan primary schools (with Marisol Trowbridge). International Journal of Educational Development.

Breaking ground: Analysis of the assessment system and impact of Mexico's teacher incentive program "Carrera Magisterial" (with Lucrecia Santibáñez, José Felipe Martinez, Ashlesha Datar, Claude Messan Setodji, and Ricardo Basurto-Dávila).

Roommate effects on grades: Evidence from first-year housing assignments (with Kristen A. Soderberg). Research in Higher Education.

An economic approach to education policy implementation (with Susanna Loeb). New Directions in Education Policy Implementation: Confronting Complexity.

The central role of noise in evaluating interventions that use test scores to rank schools (with Kenneth Y. Chay and Miguel Urquiola). American Economic Review.

Teacher and principal incentives in Mexico (with Lucrecia Santibañez). Incentives to Improve Teaching: Lessons from Latin America.

The indigenous test score gap in Bolivia and Chile. Economic Development and Cultural Change. Spanish translation.

The potential impact of vouchers. Peabody Journal of Education.

How effective are private schools in Latin America? (with Marie-Andrée Somers and J. Douglas Willms). Comparative Education Review.

Why does academic achievement vary across countries? Evidence from Cuba and Mexico. (with Jeffrey H. Marshall). Education Economics.

Peer effects on student achievement: Evidence from Chile. Economics of Education Review.

Does privatization improve education? The case of Chile’s national voucher plan (with Martin Carnoy). Choosing Choice: School Choice in International Perspective.

Propuestas alternativas a la asignación estatal de recursos. Equidad y Financimiento de la Educación en América Latina.

Cost-effectiveness analysis as an evaluation tool (with Henry M. Levin). International Handbook of Educational Evaluation.

Public subsidies for private schooling: A comparative analysis of Argentina and Chile. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis.

Cost-effectiveness and educational policy (with Henry M. Levin). Cost-Effectiveness and Educational Policy.

Are cost-effectiveness methods used correctly? Cost-Effectiveness and Educational Policy.

The effectiveness of public, Catholic, and non-religious private schools in Chile’s voucher system. Education Economics.

Privatization through vouchers in developing countries: The cases of Chile and Colombia (with Martin Carnoy). Privatizing Education.

The politics of rural school reform: Escuela Nueva in Colombia (with Luis Benveniste). Journal of Education Policy.

The potential impact of large-scale voucher programs. Review of Educational Research.

The effectiveness and efficiency of private schools in Chile’s voucher system (with Martin Carnoy). Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Constraints to implementing educational innovations: The case of multigrade schools (with Luis A. Benveniste). International Review of Education.

The impact of family and community resources on student outcomes: An assessment of the international literature with implications for New Zealand (with Thomas Nechyba and Dina Older-Aguilar).

Private costs and the rate of return to primary education. Applied Economics Letters.

Recruitment of rural teachers in developing countries: An economic analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education.

The effectiveness of multigrade schools in Colombia. International Journal of Educational Development. Spanish translation