Research
Summary
I am an applied economist interested in the labour/gender/household economics as well as urban/spatial economics. I use both causal and descriptive methods to examine whether public policy can help improve life outcomes in areas such as education, housing, and the labour market. Some of my favourite topics are the role of early childhood education in addressing social inequality, the impacts of housing regulation on affordability, and the potential for family policy in addressing gender inequality.
Current research
Parental leave benefits and child penalties (solo authored). Reject & Resubmit at The Economic Journal. [DIW DP]
Does gentrification displace poor households? (solo authored). Revise and resubmit at Economica. [CEP DP]
Publications
Gender gaps in early wage expectations (with A. Leibing, F. Peter and C. K. Spiess). Accepted at Economics of Education Review. [IZA DP]
The gender division of unpaid care work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany (with J. Jessen, C. K. Spiess and K. Wrohlich). German Economic Review. 2022. [IZA DP]
Centre-based care and parenting activities (with J. Jessen and C. K. Spiess). Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. 2022. [DIW DP] [CEP DP]
Incubators, accelerators and urban economic development (with M. Madaleno, M. Nathan and H. Overman). Urban Studies. 2022. [IZA DP]
Parental well-being in times of Covid-19 in Germany (with M. Huebener, C. K. Spiess, N. A. Siegel and G. G. Wagner). Review of Economics of the Household. 2021. [IZA DP]
Understanding day care enrolment gaps (with J. Jessen and S. Schmitz). Journal of Public Economics. Volume 190, 2020. [CEP DP]
The preservation of historic districts - Is it worth it? (solo authored). Journal of Economic Geography. 19(2): 433-464, 2019. [CEP DP]
Does the law of one price hold for hedonic prices? (solo authored). Urban Studies. 55(15): 3299-3317, 2018. [Accepted Version]
Game of zones: The political economy of conservation areas (with G. Ahlfeldt, K. Moeller and N. Wendland). The Economic Journal. 127(605): F421-F445, 2017. [CESifo DP]
Estimating the capital stock for the NUTS2 regions of the EU27 (with J. Derbyshire and B. Gardiner). Applied Economics. 45(9): 1133-1149, 2013. [Submitted Version]
Book chapters
"Well-Being throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: Gendered Effects of Daycare and School Closures" with Mathias Huebener and C. Katharina Spiess. In Kenneth Couch (Editor), Handbook of Inequality and COVID-19 (forthcoming). Preprint available as IZA DP No. 16907 and BiB Working Paper 6/2024.
Policy reports
Akademikerinnen engagieren sich häufiger als andere Mütter in der Schule ihrer Kinder (with Marcus, Spiess and Judy), DIW Wochenbericht (45), 2021,
Geschlossene Kitas: Mütter tragen mit Blick auf Zeiteinteilung vermutlich die Hauptlast (with Jessen & Spiess), DIW Aktuell (34), Apr. 2020.
Gründe für unterschiedliche Kita-Nutzung von Kindern unter drei Jahren sind vielfältig (with Jessen, Spiess and Judy), DIW Wochenbericht (14), Apr. 2020.
Kita-Besuch hängt trotz ausgeweitetem Rechtsanspruch noch immer vom Familienhintergrund ab (with Jessen, Schmitz and Spiess), DIW Wochenbericht (38), Sep. 2018.
I coauthored a series of Evidence Reviews for policymakers as part of my work at the the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth at the LSE between 2014 and 2018.
Guide to scoring methods using the Maryland Scientific Methods Scale (with Madaleno), Resources for the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, 2015.
Blogs and columns
Kita- und Schulschließungen sowie andere Corona-Maßnahmen beeinträchtigen das Wohlbefinden von Eltern (with Huebener, Siegel, Spiess, and Wagner), Ökonomenstimme, Aug. 2020.
Effects of COVID-19 day care centre closures on parental time use: Evidence from Germany (with Jessen), VoxEX column, Apr. 2020.
Does gentrification displace low-income renters in Britain? In short: Yes! CEP Urban and Spatial Programme Blog, May 2018.
Evaluating sport and cultural events: the ‘difference-in-difference’ approach, What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth Blog, Jul. 2016.
Game of Zones, CEP Urban and Spatial Programme Blog and reposted on LSE Politics and Policy Blog, Oct. 2013.
Selected News Coverage
Die Ärmsten bekommen keinen Kitaplatz, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 25/05/2023
Historic Designations Are Ruining Cities, Forbes, 23/12/2019.
Akademikerinnen profitieren am meisten von Kitas, Die Zeit, 18/09/2018.
Live just outside conservation area for property price boost, The Times, 25/10/2017.
I talked on BBC Radio 4 ``More or less'' programme in relation to UK housing crisis, 1/06/2014.
The cost of conservation, The Economist, 26/11/2013.