Highlighted Publications




 

Kauer, McGuire, Schillo, and van Kleef (2026) asked how regulated health insurance competition differs between Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. They examined insurance rules, market structures, coverage and spending statistics, and findings from studies. They found that European systems require broad participation, rely less on profit-driven insurers, and use collective regulation to control prices. The U.S. Marketplace is voluntary, covers only p

Agan et al. (2026) examined whether electing a reform-minded prosecutor changes misdemeanor and felony charging and conviction rates. They analyzed county-level administrative criminal justice data from the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS) covering 25 jurisdictions, using variation in the timing of reform prosecutors taking office and a staggered difference-in-differences design. They found that reform prosecutors reduced misdemeanor convictions by about

Finkelstein and Gentzkow (2026) asked whether places that increase Medicare spending also increase life expectancy for older adults. They analyzed Medicare claims and mortality data for millions of beneficiaries, using migration (“mover”) designs to separate the effects of places from the characteristics of the people who live there. They found that places with larger causal effects on health care spending did not produce longer life expectancy. Place-based factors explained

Gottlieb and Nicholson (2026) asked how barriers to physician entry and competition from substitute health care providers shape physician markets. They reviewed evidence from medical school and residency data, physician workforce statistics, licensing regulations, insurance claims, earnings data, and prior economic research. They found that strict limits on medical school and residency positions continue to restrict physician supply, while nurse practitioners, physician assis