Research

JOURNAL ARTICLES

- “Economic incentives surrounding fertility: Evidence from Alaska's permanent fund dividend” (with Nishant Yonzan and Laxman Timilsina). Economics and Human Biology, 52: 1-22, January 2024.

- “Mandatory Schooling of Girls Improved Their Children ’s Health: Evidence from Turkey ’s 1997 Education Reform” (with Bahadır Dursun and Resul Cesur). Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 41(3): 824-858, Summer 2022.

- “Economic Growth and Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Consumption: Evidence from the U.S. States” (with Mahmoud Salari, Nadia Doytch, and Roxana Javid). Renewable Energy, 178: 50-65, November 2021.

- “The Shock of Falling Among Older Americans.” The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 17: 100123, October 2020. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 23517, June 2017.]

-“How Does Body Mass Index Affect Economic Growth? A Comparative Analysis of Countries by Levels of Economic Development” (with Dhaval Dave and Nadia Doytch). Economics and Human Biology, 34: 58-73, August 2019.

- “Earnings Gaps for Conspicuous Characteristics: Evidence from Indonesia” (with Nazmul Ahsan). Southern Economic Journal, 85(1): 121-141, July 2018.

- “The Effect of Breastfeeding on Young Adult Wages: New Evidence from the Add Health” (with Resul Cesur, Joseph Sabia, and Muzhe Yang). Review of Economics of the Household, 15(1): 25–51, March 2017.

- “Nutrient Intake: A Cross-National Analysis of Trends and Economic Determinants” (with Dhaval Dave and Nadia Doytch). Social Science and Medicine, 158: 158-167, June 2016. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 22179, April 2016.]

- “Global Evidence on Obesity and Related Outcomes: An Overview of Prevalence, Trends, and Determinants” (with Nadia Doytch and Dhaval Dave). Eastern Economic Journal, 42(1): 7-28, Winter 2016.

- “The Impact of Early Occupational Choice on Health Behaviors” (with Dhaval Dave, Jody Sindelar, and William Gallo). Review of Economics of the Household, 12(4): 737-770, December 2014. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 16803, February 2011.]

- “Who Pays the Bar Tab? Beer Consumption and Economic Growth in the U.S.” (with Resul Cesur). Economic Inquiry, 52(1): 477-494, January 2014.

- “Early Education and Health Outcomes of a 2001 U.S. Birth Cohort” (with Clive Belfield). Economics and Human Biology, 11(3): 310-325, July 2013.

- “Disability, Obesity, and Employment: Exploring Nationally-Representative Data” (with Jennifer Tennant). Proceedings of the New York State Economics Association, Volume 5, September 2012, p232-241.

- “The Benefits of Breastfeeding Across the Early Years of Childhood” (with Clive Belfield). Journal of Human Capital, 6(3): 251-277, Fall 2012. [Also NBER Working Paper No.16496, October 2010.]

- “Spillover Effects of the ADA: The Case of Obesity” (with Jennifer Tennant). Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 22(4): 228-234, March 2012.

- “Global Health and the Economy” (with Nadia Doytch and Dhaval Dave). Human Biology Review, 1(1), January 2012.

- “How Does the Business Cycle Affect Eating Habits?” (with Dhaval Dave). Social Science and Medicine, 74(2): 254-262, January 2012. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 16638, December 2010.]

- “Work as Mental Health-Promoting or Mental-Health Depreciating?” (with Dhaval Dave). Epidemiology, 22(4): 560-562, July 2011.

- “Exposure to Food Advertising on Television: Associations with Children’s Fast Food and Soft Drink Consumption and Obesity” (with Tatiana Andreyeva and Jennifer Harris). Economics and Human Biology, 9(3): 221-233, July 2011. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 16858, March 2011.]

- “From Cradle to Classroom: High Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes” (with Resul Cesur). Forum for Health Economics and Policy, Vol. 13: Iss. 2 (Health Economics), Article 2, 2010. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 14524, December 2008.]

- “Contribution of the School Environment to Physical Fitness in Children and Youth” (with Mary Ann Phillips, Michelle Revels, and Dawud Ujamaa). Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 7(3): 333-342, May 2010.

- “Incentives in Obesity and Health Insurance” (with Sara Markowitz). Inquiry, 46(4): 418-432, Winter 2009/2010. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 13113, May 2007.]

- “Associations of Cycling With Urban Sprawl and the Gasoline Price.” American Journal of Health Promotion, 24(1): 27-36, Sept/Oct 2009.

- “Overweight Status, Self-Perception and Suicidal Behaviors among Adolescents” (with Dhaval Dave). Social Science and Medicine, 68(9): 1685-1691, May 2009.

- “Trends in U.S. Food Prices, 1950-2007” (with Thomas Christian). Economics and Human Biology, 7(1): 113-120, March 2009.

- “Employer-Provided Health Insurance and the Incidence of Job-Lock: A Literature Review and Empirical Test” (with Eric Sarpong). Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 8(6): 583-591, December 2008.

- “Fast-Food Restaurant Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity” (with Shin-Yi Chou and Michael Grossman). Journal of Law and Economics, 51(4): 599-618, November 2008. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 11879, December 2005.]

- “The Effects of Retirement on Physical and Mental Health Outcomes” (with Dhaval Dave and Jasmina Spasojevic). Southern Economic Journal, 75(2): 497-523, October 2008. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 12123, March 2006.]

- “Height, Health,and Income in the US,1984-2005.” Economics and Human Biology, 6(1): 108-126, March 2008.

- “Obesity and Time Preference: The Health Consequences of Discounting the Future” (with Lei Zhang). Journal of Biosocial Science, 40(1): 97-113, January 2008.

- “Obesity and Diabetes: The Roles That Prices and Policies Play.” Advances in Health Economics and Health Services Research, 17: 113-128, 2007.

- “Structural Estimation of Caloric Intake, Exercise, Smoking, and Obesity.” Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 46(2): 268-283, May 2006. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 11957, January 2006.]

- “The Super Size of America: An Economic Estimation of Body Mass Index and Obesity in Adults” (with Michael Grossman and Shin-Yi Chou). Eastern Economic Journal, 32(1): 133-148, Winter 2006. [Also NBER Working Paper No. 11584, August 2005.]

- “Do Sprawling Counties in Georgia Adversely Affect Health? A Focus on Obesity and Cancer” (with Michael Eriksen). Urban-Rural Interfaces Conference Proceedings, pp.294-300, August 2005.

- “Whose Fault Is It We’re Getting Fat? Obesity in the United States.” Public Policy Research, 12(1): 30-36, March 2005.

- “The Economics of Obesity” (with Michael Grossman). Public Interest, 156: 104-112, Summer 2004.

- “Teenage Sex, Drugs and Alcohol Use: Problems Identifying the Cause of Risky Behaviors” (with Robert Kaestner). Journal of Health Economics, 23(3): 493-503, May 2004. Reprinted in The Economics of Health Behaviours edited by John H. Cawley and Donald S. Kenkel, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2008.

- “Assessing the Underlying Economic Causes and Consequences of Obesity.” Gender Issues, 21(3): 17-29, Summer 2003.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

- “Higher Education Challenges: Women in Economics.” In Diversity and Inclusion in Educational Institutions, Fawzia Reza (Ed.), Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 26 January 2022.

- “A Reckoning: Changing How We Think About Education and Work in the United States” (with Mubina Schroeder). The NGO Reporter, 28(4), Special Issue: The COVID-19 Crisis, May 2020.

- “Citizen Science in the Age of COVID-19” (with Mubina Schroeder). Coronavirus News at Loyola Marymount University, 22 April 2020.

- “Health Care Issues to Look Out for in the Debate” (with Erin Kaplan and Matthew Hill). The DNC Presidential Debate at Loyola Marymount University, 6 December 2019.

- “Introduction to the Special Issue in Honor of John Komlos, the Founding Editor of Economics and Human Biology” (with Jörg Baten). Economics and Human Biology, 34:1-4, August 2019.

- Book Review for “The End Game” (by Corey Abramson). Journal of Economic Literature, March 2018.

- “Mothers’ Education and Children’s Health” (with Bahadır Dursun and Resul Cesur). Economic Research Forum, 17 October 2017.

- “The Impact of Extending Female Compulsory Education on Child Health in Turkey” (with Bahadır Dursun and Resul Cesur). International Growth Centre blog, 10 August 2017.

- “Nutrient intake through time and across regions” (with Dhaval Dave and Nadia Doytch). VOX, 06 August 2016.

- Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology, Co-Editor (with John Komlos), May 2016.

- “Introduction” (with John Komlos). Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology, May 2016.

- Solutions Manual to Damodar Gujarati’s Econometrics By Example, 2nd edition. Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, December 2014.

- “Advertising as a Determinant of Health in the USA” (with Dhaval Dave). In Encyclopedia of Health Economics, Anthony Culyer (Ed.), Elsevier Inc, March 2014.

- Obesity and the Labor Market: Economics and Human Biology Virtual Special Issue (Editorial). 2014.

- “Publicly-Available Data Useful for Social Science Research on Obesity.” In Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity, Part 2: Chapter 12, John Cawley (Ed.), September 2011.

- Solutions Manual to Damodar Gujarati’s Econometrics By Example, 1st edition. Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, April 2011.

- Book Review for “Obesity, Business, and Public Policy” (edited by Zoltan J. Acs and Alan Lyles). Eastern Economic Journal, 35(2): 267-269, Spring 2009.

- “Incentives in Obesity and Health Insurance” (with Sara Markowitz). Health and Ageing Geneva Association Information Newsletter, 17: 3-6, October 2007.

- “Shape Up, Kids.” Dallas Morning News, 22 October 2005.

- “Obesity: Why Have Americans Gotten So Fat? Some of the Reasons May Surprise You.” Dallas Morning News, 2 August 2004.

- “Q and A” (with Michael Grossman). Obesity Policy Report, 1 September 2004.

SELECT MEDIA CITATIONS

BBC:

Height discrimination: How 'heightism' affects careers, August 26th, 2022

Vox:

Americans have fewer kids than they say they want. Alaska has a solution, February 7th, 2020

MarketWatch:

This is why it’s so dangerous when older Americans fall, June 23rd, 2017

New York Daily News:

Does retirement help or hurt your health? March 17th, 2014