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
August 13, 2019 Fatherly
Economist Emily Oster comments on the wave of new parenting tools, saying "Infants can be very overwhelming to be around, and these devices give you something to do...But it’s really for you. Not for your baby."
July 18, 2019 Medium
Professor Emily Oster in Medium's Elemental, "Miscarriage can be lonely, it can be devastating, and it can be confusing. Reassuringly, most women who miscarry go on to have healthy pregnancies. This can be hard to see when miscarriage is kept so secret, but if this happens, you are not alone."
July 12, 2019 InStyle
Professor Emily Oster sat down with InStyle to debunk parenting myths. "You're making these decisions about something you've never thought about before, and they all feel incredibly important."
July 11, 2019 The Atlantic
Economist Emily Oster comments on a new wave of families using traditional office software to run their households, explaining how Asana made the jump from software her husband used for work to software they used as a couple.
July 9, 2019 Vogue
Professor Emily Oster comments on what the future could look like if robots took over housework. "More automation could mean more equality, although I think it's a little complicated whether it will change the inequality as opposed to just the amount."
July 8, 2019 The Atlantic
Emily Oster in The Atlantic, "At this point, if you’re pregnant and a marijuana user and you’re wondering what to do, my answer is: Don’t freak out; do think seriously about quitting."
July 2, 2019 KQED
Economist Emily Oster joined KQED to help cut through all of the advice soon-to-be and new parents receive.