Emily A. Beam

I am an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont. I am also an affiliate of the Gund Institute, a research fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), and an invited researcher at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). 

As a development economist, my work focuses on employment, education, and social inclusion. My research explores practical solutions to challenges facing disadvantaged communities worldwide. I specialize in conducting randomized impact evaluations in partnership with governments and NGOs. These evaluations aim to identify, improve, and scale effective interventions to enhance learning outcomes, facilitate employment, and help households build better futures.

My ongoing projects investigate social protection and graduation programs for ultra-poor households, childcare access and quality, labor market discrimination, and remote education technologies. My research spans multiple countries, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Brazil, and the United States.

Before joining the University of Vermont, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore. I earned my Ph.D. in Economics and Public Policy from the University of Michigan in 2013, where I also completed a B.S. in Economics, Mathematics, and Spanish.

Curriculum Vitae  (February 2025)

Publications:

• The Impact of Short-Term Employment for Low-Income Youth: Experimental Evidence from the Philippines, with Stella Quimbo. August 2021. Forthcoming at the Review of Economics and Statistics. 3ie Policy Brief and 3ie Report. Available as IZA Discussion Paper No. 14661.

• Social media as a recruitment and data collection tool: Experimental evidence on the relative effectiveness of web surveys and chatbots. Journal of Development Economics, Vol 162, May 2023: 103069. Available as IZA Discussion Paper No. 15597.

• Loss Aversion or Lack of Trust: Why Does Loss Framing Work?, with Yusufcan Masatioglu, Tara Watson, and Dean Yang. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Vol 104, June 2023: 102022. Available as NBER Working Paper No. 29828

• Leveraging Outside Readings and Low-Stakes Writing Assignments to Promote Student Engagement in an Economic Development Course, Journal of Economic Education, Vol 52, No. 4, August 2021, p274–285.

• The Influence of Hidden Researcher Decisions in Applied Microeconomics, with Nick Huntington-Klein, Andreu Arenas, Marco Bertoni, Jeffrey R. Bloem, Pralhad Burli, Naibin Chen, Paul Greico, Godwin Ekpe, Todd Pugatch, Martin Saavedra, Yaniv Stopnitzky, Economic Inquiry, Vol 59, No. 3, July 2021, p944–960. Available as IZA Discussion Paper No. 13233.

• Does younger age at marriage affect divorce? Evidence from Johnson's Executive Order 11241, with Martha Bailey and Anna Wentz. May 2019. Economic Inquiry, Vol 59, No. 3, July 2021, p1328–1345.

• Search Costs and the Determinants of Job Search, Labour Economics, Vol 69, April 2021.  Available as IZA Discussion Paper No. 13793.

• Superstition, Fertility, and Inter-ethnic Spillovers: Evidence from Peninsular Malaysia, with Slesh A. Shrestha, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol 69, No. 1, September 2020. 

• The Relative Returns to Education, Experience, and Attractiveness for Young Workers, with Joshua Hyman and Caroline Theoharides, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol 68 No 2, January 2020, p391–428.

• Do Job Fairs Matter? Experimental Evidence from the Philippines. Journal of Development Economics, Vol 120, May 2016, p32–40.

• Unilateral Facilitation Does Not Raise International Labor Migration from the Philippines, with David McKenzie and Dean Yang, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol 64, No. 2, January 2016.

Working Papers:

• Lowering Barriers to Remote Education: Experimental Impacts on Parental Responses and Learning, with Priya Mukherjee and Laia Navarro-Sola. Available as HECO Discussion Paper 2022-030.

Work in Progress:

• "Improving Childcare Quality through Social Franchising," with Anne Fitzpatrick.

• "Bridging the Soft Skills Gap Through Technology," with Ricardo Dahis, Ursula Mello, and Laia Navarro-Sola.

• "Impact Evaluation of the DOLE Pilot Graduation Program," with Lasse Brune, Dean Karlan, Yasu Sawada, and Christopher Udry. Project page and Final Report (April 2022)

• "Evaluation of the Titukulane Resilience Food Security Activity, Malawi," with Lasse Brune, Jessica Goldberg, Dean Karlan, Craig McIntosh, and Christopher Udry.

• "Evaluation of the Takunda and Amalima Loko Resilience Food Security Activities, Zimbabwe", with Lasse Brune, Jessica Goldberg, Dean Karlan, Craig McIntosh, and Matthew Summers.

• Evaluation of the Okhokelamo ni Solho Resilience Food Security Activities, Mozambique," with Lasse Brune, Doug Parkerson, Dean Karlan, and Craig McIntosh.

• "Gendered Impacts of the Pandemic: Evidence from Vulnerable Households in Bangladesh,'' with Priya Mukherjee. IPA Results Brief (March 2021) and IGC Final Report (March 2021)