Research

Working Papers (authors listed in alphabetical order)

The Attraction of Magnet Schools: Evidence from Embedded Lotteries in School Assignment, under review.  

Umut Dur, Robert Hammond, Matthew Lenard, Melinda Morrill, Thayer Morrill, and Colleen Paeplow

August 2023 Version


The Responses of Older Adults to SNAP Benefit Expansions, work in progress.

with De Fen Hsu and Melissa McInerney


Published and Forthcoming Articles (authors listed in alphabetical order)

Health and Retirement: Heterogeneity in the Responsiveness to Pension Incentives

De Fen Hsu, Melinda Morrill, and Aditi Pathak

Economics Letters, Vol. 238, May 2024.

Article in Press

October 2023 Version

Project Website


The Impact of Wind Energy on Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits

Harrison Fell and Melinda Morrill

Environ Resource Econ,  87, 287–320 (2024). 

Article in Press

April 2023 Version

Project Information


Heterogeneity in the Educational Impacts of Natural Disasters: Evidence from Hurricane Florence

Melinda Morrill and John Westall

Economics of Education Review, June 2023, Vol. 94.

Article in Press


High School Start Times and Student Achievement: Looking Beyond Test Scores

Matthew Lenard, Melinda Morrill, and John Westall

Economics of Education Review, June 2020, Vol. 75.

Article in press

Press Release April 27, 2020, AJC Article


The Role of Social Security in Retirement Timing: Evidence from a National Sample of Teachers

Melinda Morrill and John Westall

Journal of Pension Economics and Finance,  October 2019, 18 (Special Issue 4) , 549-564. 

Article in Press

NBER Working Paper #25411, NBER Interview


Informing Retirement Savings Decisions: A Field Experiment on Supplemental Plans

Robert L. Clark, Robert G. Hammond, Melinda Sandler Morrill, and Christelle Khalaf

Economic Inquiry, January 2019, 57(1): 188-205.

Article in press

An earlier version is NBER Working Paper #23679, "Nudging Retirement Savings: A Field Experiment on Supplemental Plans"

WSJ Article


Annuity Options in Public Pension Plans: The Curious Case of Social Security Leveling

Robert L. Clark, Robert G. Hammond, Melinda Sandler Morrill, and David Vanderweide

The Journal of Retirement, Summer 2018, 6 (1) 33-44.

Article in Press

An earlier version is NBER Working Paper #23262


"Special Education Financing and ADHD Medications: A Bitter Pill to Swallow"

Melinda Morrill

Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2018, 37: 384-402.

Article in press


"The Effect of College Education on Mortality"

Kasey Buckles, Andreas Hagemann, Ofer Malamud, Melinda Morrill, and Abigail Wozniak

Journal of Health Economics, December 2016, Vol. 50, 99-114.

Article in press

Earlier Version: NBER Working Paper 19222

    Freakonomics Blog:  http://www.freakonomics.com/2013/07/16/college-makes-you-healthy/


"Golden Years or Financial Fears? Decision-making after Retirement Seminars"

Steven G. Allen, Robert L. Clark, Jennifer Maki, and Melinda Morrill

The Journal of Retirement, Winter 2016, 3(3): 96-115.

Article in press

 Earlier version: NBER Working Paper 19231


"Supplemental Plan Offerings and Retirement Saving Choices: An Analysis of North Carolina School Districts"

Robert L. Clark, Emma Hanson, Melinda Morrill, and Aditi Pathak

Journal of Pension Economics & Finance, July 2016, 15(3): 333-355.

NBER Working Paper version: #21382

Article in press


“What Effects do Macroeconomic Conditions Have on Families’ Time Together?” 

Melinda Morrill and Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia, 

Review of Economics of the Household, Volume 13, Issue 4 (2015), Page 791-814. 

Article in press


“The Effects of Retiree Health Insurance Plan Characteristics on Retirees’ Choice and Employers’ Costs” 

Robert Clark, Melinda Morrill, and David Vanderweide. 

Journal of Health Economics, December 2014, 38: 119-129.  

NBER Conference on State and Local Health Plans for Active and Retired Public Employees.  

NBER Working Paper #19566

Article in press


“Defined Benefit Pension Plan Distribution Decisions by Public Sector Employees” 

Robert Clark, Melinda Morrill, and David Vanderweide.

Journal of Public Economics, August 2014, 116: 73-88.  

Previous version circulated under the title: “The Reverse Annuity Puzzle: The Choice of Lump Sum Distributions among Separating Public Sector Workers,” NBER Working Paper #18488.

Article in press


“Can Simple Informational Nudges Increase Employee Participation in a 401(k) Plan?” 

Robert Clark, Jennifer Maki, and Melinda Morrill

Southern Economic Journal, January 2014, 80(3): 677-701.    

NBER Working Paper #19591

Article in Press


“Intergenerational Links in Female Labor Force Participation,” 

Melinda Morrill and Thayer Morrill

Labour Economics, January 2013, 20: 38-47.  

Article in press


“Business Cycles and Divorce: Evidence from Microdata”  

Judith K. Hellerstein, Melinda Morrill, and Ben Zou

Economics Letters, Jan 2013, 188: 68-70.  

(Previous versions circulated under the title “Macroeconomic Conditions and Marital Dissolution”)

Article in press

Online Appendix


“The Role of Financial Literacy in Determining Retirement Plans,” 

Robert L. Clark, Melinda Morrill, and Steven G. Allen

Economic Inquiry, October 2012, 50: 851-866.  

NBER Working Paper #16612

Article in press


“Booms, Busts, and Divorce,” 

Judith K. Hellerstein and Melinda Morrill

The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2011, Vol. 11: Iss. 1 (Contributions), Article 54. 

Article in press. NIHMS/PMC


“The Effects of Maternal Employment on the Health of School-Age Children,” 

Melinda Morrill

Journal of Health Economics, 2011, 30: 240-257.  

Article in press

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“Dads and Daughters:  The Changing Impact of Fathers on Women's Occupational Choices” 

Judith K. Hellerstein and Melinda Morrill

Journal of Human Resources, (2011), 46(2): 333-372.  

Article in press

SELECTED POPULAR PRESS:

Also appeared on:


“The Funding Status of Retiree Health Plans in the Public Sector,”  

Robert Clark and Melinda Morrill

Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 10(2): 291-314.  April, 2011.  

Previous Version: NBER WP #16450, Oct 2010.

Article in press

POPULAR PRESS:


“Measuring Inappropriate Medical Diagnosis and Treatment in Survey Data:  The Case of ADHD among School-Age Children,”  

William Evans, Melinda Morrill, and Steven Parente

Journal of Health Economics, (2010), 29(5): 657-673. 

Article in press

SELECTED POPULAR PRESS:



Other Papers, Books, and Papers in Conference Volumes

Extending Work Life: Can Employers Adapt When Employees Want to Delay Retirement? (with Robert L. Clark), Upjohn Press, 2017.

“Active and Retired Public Employees' Health Insurance: Potential Data Sources.” Journal of Health Economics, December 2014, 38: 147-152.   Article in press

“Effectiveness of Employer-Provided Financial Information:  Hiring to Retiring,” (with Robert L. Clark and Steven G. Allen), American Economic Review:  Papers & Proceedings 2012, 102(3): 1-6.  Article in press

“Pension Plan Distributions:  The Importance of Financial Literacy,” with Robert Clark and Steve Allen, in Olivia S. Mitchell and Annamaria Lusardi, eds., Financial Literacy:  Implications for Retirement Security and the Financial Marketplace. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011.  Previous version:  Pension Research Council Working Paper No. 2010-27. 

“Employer-Provided Retirement Planning Programs,” (with Robert Clark and Steve Allen), in Robert Clark and Olivia Mitchell (eds.), Reorienting Retirement Risk Management, Oxford University Press, October 2010, pp. 36-64.

POPULAR PRESS:

Retiree Health Plans in the Public Sector: Is There a Funding Crisis? Robert L. Clark and Melinda Sandler Morrill.  Edward Elgar Publishing, September 2010, ISBN: 978-1848447585. 176 pages.


Permanent working papers

Violation of Exogeneity: A Joint Test of Structural Parameters and Correlation, Mehmet Caner and Melinda Morrill,  This version: 1/2013, Working paper.

Retirement Timing among Public Sector Workers: Responsiveness to Pension Benefit Plan Design Features, Robert L Clark, Robert G Hammond, Melinda Sandler Morrill, and Aditi Pathak, November 2017, SIEPR Working Paper