Pablo Peña
Bio
I am an economist (BA, ITAM, Mexico, PhD, UChicago) with a passion for applied price theory, human capital theory, and empirical economics. I have taught at the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at UChicago since 2019, when I joined as Assistant Instructional Professor. I am Director of Private Sector Partnerships at the Development Innovation Lab, which focuses on finding and promoting interventions that raise the living standards of vulnerable communities. In 2013 I co-founded Microanalitica, a consulting firm that uses experiments and quasi-experiments to produce actionable intelligence for businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. Before that, I led the Economic Studies group at Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission. I worked on antitrust legal conflicts at a Chicago-based consulting firm, and analyzed tax policy, insurance, pensions, and development banking at Mexico’s Ministry of Finance. The common thread in my professional life has been the use of large data sets to test economic theories of behavior and produce insights of practical value.
Courses
Human Capital and the Economy (ECON 26040)
Introduction to Econometrics (ECON 11020)
Introduction to Managerial Microeconomics (ECON 18010)
Elements of Economic Analysis I (ECON 20000)
Elements of Economic Analysis II (ECON 20100)
Working papers
Publications
Large studies reveal how reference bias limits policy applications of self-report measures (with Benjamin Lira, Joseph O'Brien, et al.), Scientific Reports, 2022. Open access!
Child Deaths by Gun Violence in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic (with Anupam Jena), JAMA Network Open, 2022. Open access!
Trump’s wall and gourmet coffee sales: the effect of a consumer boycott in Mexico (with Saidé Salazar and Carlos Serrano), Economics & Politics, 2022.
Mass Shootings in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic (with Anupam Jena), JAMA Network Open, 2021. Open access!
Female representation among notable people born in 1700-2000 (with Jun Ho Choi), Economics Letters, 2021.
Does relative age affect fame? Ask Wikipedia (with Seth Stephens-Davidowitz), Education Economics, 2021.
Relative age and investment in human capital, Economics of Education Review, 2020.
Association of Grit scores with treatment adherence and biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes (with Ivan Perez Diaz et al.), JAMA Network Open, 2019. Open access!
Relative age and incarceration: born on the wrong side of the calendar, Education Economics, 2019.
The effects of relative and absolute age in the measurement of grit from 9th to 12th grade (with Angela Duckworth), Economics of Education Review, 2018.
Maturity and minorities: the impact of redshirting on achievement gaps (with Matt Lenard), Education Economics, 2018.
Creating winners and losers: Date of birth, relative age in school, and outcomes in childhood and adulthood, Economics of Education Review, 2017.
Personality and Financial Culture: A Study of Mexican Youths, International Handbook of Financial Literacy, 2016.
A not so happy day after all: Excess death rates on birthdays in the U.S., Social Science & Medicine, 2015.
Aggregate shocks and investment in human capital: higher educational achievement during the lost decade in Mexico, El Trimestre Economico, 2013. Open access!
Pricing in the Not-for-Profit Sector: Can Wealth Growth at American Colleges Explain Chronic Tuition Increases?, Journal of Human Capital, 2010.
Policy papers
End the birthday bias, Education Next, 2022.
Personality, cognitive and socioemotional skills, and entrepreneurship in Mexico, in Entrepreneurship Culture in Mexico (Ch. 5), 2019.
Review of the evidence on educational interventions (in Spanish, with C. Chiapa), Colegio de Mexico, 2017.
Evaluation of the impact on consumer welfare of antitrust sanctions in the chicken market, COFECE, México, 2016.
The impact of government guarantees on the terms of loans granted to enterprises (with I. Rios), CNBV Economic Studies, 2013.
Decision-making in presence of irrelevant alternatives: Neither rational nor irrational (with M. Jaimes), CNBV Economic Studies, 2013.
Microbusinesses in México: Reasons to start them, expectations, size, and financing (with I. Rios and S. Salazar), CNBV Economic Studies, 2012.
Foreign banks in Mexico: Are there reasons to worry? (with J. Gonzalez), CNBV Economic Studies, 2012.
A micro-economic perspective of banking in Mexico: The role of heterogeneity and commitment, CNBV Economic Studies, 2012.
The impact of bank correspondents on financial inclusion: A first evaluation (with A. Vazquez), CNBV Economic Studies, 2012.
Monopolies and their effects on economic growth (with F. Rivadeneyra), Gaceta de Economia, 2009.
Book
How to change stories (Cómo cambiar historias) with Armando Chacon, prologue by Gary Becker, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2012
Reforma op-eds (in Spanish)
Contact
Please drop a line if you want to know more about my work or research: pablo [at] uchicago [dot] edu
Do people with fancy-sounding family names earn higher wages? Listen to this interview (in Spanish) for the podcast El café de la mañana (of Mexican newspaper Reforma).
What makes the National Football League so special? Listen to this interview (in Spanish) for the podcast El café de la mañana (of Mexican newspaper Reforma).
Is divorce more common among same-sex couples? Listen to this interview (in Spanish) for the podcast El café de la mañana (of Mexican newspaper Reforma).
Are tacos usually made by men and quesadillas by women? Listen to this interview (in Spanish) for the podcast El café de la mañana (of Mexican newspaper Reforma).
Here is an interview (in Spanish) on national TV in Mexico about the book "How to change stories."
Bonus
Please take a look at the 15-minute mockumentary "The Invisible Hand: A Chicago Introspection," a treat from the Department of Economics 2004 Skit Show. I share credits with Andrew Francis-Tan and Babur de los Santos.