Research

Selected Publications

• Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Foster Care Admissions (with John Gardner).  Economic Inquiry 

We estimate the effect of legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes on the entry of children into the foster care system. By exploiting the staggered adoption of recreational marijuana laws (RML), we find that legalization decreases foster care placements by at least 10%, with larger effects in the years after legalization. We find larger decreases in admissions due to parental drug and abuse abuse, implying that substitution towards marijuana from other substances is an important part of how legalization affects admissions. We find similar effects for admissions due to physical abuse and parental neglect, demonstrating that legalization has clear benefits for the substantive wellbeing of children. 

• Risk Taking, Ownership and Excess Reserve in the Ghanaian Banking System (with Theodora. A. Odonkor and Bo Sjo).  Journal of Emerging Market Finance. 2016;15(2):147-168.

• The Effect of Board Composition on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from Listed Firms in Ghana (with Albert Puni and  B.A. Offei). International Journal of Business and Management , 2014, 9(8) 

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Working Papers

• Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Criminal Recidivism 

The opioid crisis has had a disproportionate effect on individuals who have served time in prison. However, very little is known about the effects of prescription opioid policies on the likelihood of criminal recidivism of released offenders. In this study, I examine the effect of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) on criminal recidivism. By exploiting the staggered adoption of PDMPs, I find that Voluntary PDMPs do not have any effect on criminal recidivism rates. On the other hand, I find an increase in criminal recidivism rates in states that passed Mandated PDMPs. The increase in recidivism rates is driven by ex-prisoners who are released on parole, with no evidence of an overall effect on crimes committed by released offenders. Looking at drug crimes specifically however, I find that the Mandated PDMPs are effective in reducing prescription-related and marijuana-related offenses. On the other hand, there is a substantial increase in offenders who commit heroin-related offenses after release, suggesting substitution from prescription opioids to heroin. Thus, there may be unintended consequences of Mandated PDMPs on the criminal justice system which suggest a role for future policy to address.