Ian Calaway

I am a PhD candidate in Economics at Stanford University. My primary research fields are Public Economics and Labor Economics. My research focuses on how STEM educational policies and practices influence the long-term scientific and economic contributions of students. This fall, I am excited to be joining the Department of Economics at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business as an Assistant Professor.

Email: icalaway@stanford.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Committee

Prof. Caroline Hoxby (Primary)

Economics, Stanford University

choxby@stanford.edu

Prof. Isaac Sorkin

Economics, Stanford University

sorkin@stanford.edu

Prof. Nick Bloom

Economics, Stanford University

nbloom@stanford.edu

Job Market Paper

Early Mentors for Exceptional Students

Although we are acquainted anecdotally with extraordinary people like Mozart and Marie Curie, there is little systematic research on how children with exceptional ability develop into truly extraordinary talents. Is the supply of extraordinary talent inelastic, dependent on a rare combination of innate gifts and the availability of mentors who are themselves world-class (Irène Joliot-Curie and her mother Marie)? Or, could the supply be fairly elastic because mentors need only have abilities within the normal range? I analyze these questions in the context of mathematics, where there is a consensus on how exceptional ability presents itself in children. I show that mathematics teachers who organize clubs and competitions can identify and foster exceptional math students, causing them to win honors, attend selective universities, major in STEM fields, and have careers in which they disproportionately spur economic growth. I demonstrate that there are many exceptional math students without mentors who could be reached with modest investments.