Degrees

Ph.D., Stanford University (2001)

B.A., Rice University (1995)

Teaching Interests

I have taught microeconomics, econometrics, and industrial organization at both the undergraduate and Ph.D. levels, as a graduate teaching assistant at Stanford University and as faculty at the University of California – Irvine, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Amherst College. 

At Amherst College, I have co-taught Advanced Microeconomics (Ec 301, the advanced version of Ec 300), with Walter Nicholson as well as with Brian Baisa.  I have taught Introductory Economics (Ec 111)  and Industrial Organization (Ec 225) and am the inaugural instructor of Advanced Econometrics (Ec 361, the advanced version of Ec 360).

If there is sufficient interest, I may offer an advanced version of Industrial Organization (upper level elective, requiring Ec 300/1 and/or 360/1).  In Fall 2012, I offered an upper level elective "Microeconometrics" that discusses the intersection between microeconomic and econometric theories.  I plan to offer this course irregularly (i.e. once every few years)

I usually advise at least one thesis student (excluding sabbatical years).

Select Publications

"Impediments to the Estimation of Teacher Value Added," with Steven Rivkin, Education Finance and Policy, 4(4), 2009

"Air Travel Choices in Multi-Airport Markets," with Kurt Van Dender and Sunyoung Jun, Journal of Urban Economics, 65(2), 2009

"Assessing the Role of Airlines and Airports in Multi-airport Markets," with Kurt Van Dender and Sunyoung Jun, in: Advances in Airline Economics, Volume 2: The Economics of Airline Institutions, Operations, and Marketing, Elsevier, 2007

"Does Divestiture Crowd-out New Investment? The 'Make or Buy' Decision in U.S. Electricity Generation Investment," with Jingming Yan, RAND Journal of Economics, 38(1), 2007

"From Investor-owned Utility to Independent Power Producer," Energy Journal, 27(3), 2006

Select Working Papers

"Options Compensation as a Commitment Mechanism in Oligopoly Competition," with David Zhang '13, draft (mimeo), February 2015, forthcoming at Managerial and Decision Economics

"Technology Adoption and Regulatory Regimes: Gas Turbine Electricity Generators from 1980 to 2001," draft (mimeo), February 2011

"Holding the 'A' Students Hostage?  College Admissions with Grade Inflation and Noisy Test Scores," draft (mimeo), June 2010

"Useful Excess Capacity?  An Empirical Study of U.S. Oil & Gas Drilling," preliminary draft (mimeo), January 2011

"Consumer Perception of Warranty as Signal of Quality: An Empirical Study of Power Train Warranties," with Busik Choi, mimeo, March 2010

"Signaling, SAT Coaching, and Selective College Admissions," with Travis Chamberlain, draft (mimeo), September 2010

"Investment under Regulatory Uncertainty: U.S. Electricity Generation Investment since 1996," with Jingming Yan, UCEI CSEM Working Paper #127 , March 2004    (Updated mimeo, June 2011)

"An Equilibrium Model of Investment in Restructured Electricity Markets," with James Bushnell, UCEI CSEM Working Paper #164 , January 2007

"Competition, Innovation, and Racing for Priority at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office," with Linda Cohen, AEI-Brookings Working Paper 05-22 , November 2005