Emily Oster
Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Economics
Emily Oster is a professor of economics. Prior to coming to Brown she was an associate professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research. She earned her BA and her PhD from Harvard, in 2002 and 2006, respectively.
Emily Oster’s research focuses on health and development economics. Her past work has covered issues of HIV and gender equality in health and survival. Her current work focuses on how individuals seek out, and react to, health information. She has several recent papers on Huntington Disease, a degenerative neurological disorder. In this context she explores health information-seeking and asks why individuals in the at-risk population seem resistant to informative genetic information about this disease. She uses a similar population to test whether knowledge of limited life expectancy affects incentives to invest in education and job training.
Oster’s current work covers infant mortality – exploring why the US has very high infant mortality rates relative to other developed countries – and diet behavior among diabetics.
"Weighting for External Validity" (with Isaiah Andrews). The National Bureau of Economic Research. (September 2017). doi: 10.3386/w23826
“Approaches and Costs for Sharing Clinical Research Data” (with Erin Wilhelm and Ira Shoulson). JAMA (Viewpoint, Feb 20, 2014).
“Limited Life Expectancy, Human Capital and Health Investments” (with E. Ray Dorsey and Ira Shoulson). American Economic Review, 103 (5): p. 1977-2002 (August 2013).
“Optimal Expectations and Limited Medical Testing: Evidence from Huntington's Disease” (with E. Ray Dorsey and Ira Shoulson). American Economic Review, 103 (2): p. 804-830 (April 2013).
“Do IT Service Centers Promote School Enrollment? Evidence from India” (with Bryce Millett). Journal of Development Economics, 104: 123-135 (September 2013).
“Knowledge of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act among individuals affected by Huntington disease” (with E. Ray Dorsey et al.). Clinical Genetics, 84: p. 251-257 (September 2013).
“Determinants of Technology Adoption: Private Value and Peer Effects in Menstrual Cup Take-Up” (with Rebecca Thornton). Journal of the European Economic Association, 10(6): p.1263-1293 (December, 2012).
“Routes of Infection: Exports and HIV Incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Journal of the European Economic Association, 10(5): p. 1025–1058 (October 2012).
MPA 2460 Economics for Public Policy
Econ 018D
Econ 2360
May 11, 2021 Chalkbeat
Emily Oster in Chalkbeat, "The overall picture shows a change in a lot of other things at the same time — work hours, for example — and although that could be a result of school opens, it may also be that other restrictions changed."
May 11, 2021 TODAY
Emily Oster in TODAY, "I think parents are excited about some return to normalcy but also finding everything very confusing. The messaging around kids is really split between ‘they are low risk’ and ‘they're unvaccinated so you still can't do anything..."
May 10, 2021 SciTech Daily
Emily Oster contributed to a study that found no substantial difference in the number of cases of COVID-19 among either students or staff in school districts that implemented a distancing policy of three feet versus six feet between students.
May 6, 2021 Politico
This article includes commentary from Professor Emily Oster, and references her "follow the science" research.
May 4, 2021 The Atlantic
This article references previous commentary by Emily Oster.
May 4, 2021 Wall Street Journal
This article cites Emily Oster and the prevalent criticism that arose after Biden announced a federal push for children to attend daycare.
May 3, 2021 Townhall
This article cites Emily Oster's COVID-19 dashboard.
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Watch on Watson's YouTube channel.
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Watch the conversation on Watson's YouTube channel.