Katherine Meckel

Katherine Meckel is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of California San Diego, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and a Research Network Affiliate at the Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research (CESifo). Her research specializes in topics in public finance and health economics. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Yale University.

Curriculum Vitae  

Research Statement

Contact information: 

Dept. of Economics

University of California, San Diego

9500 Gilman Drive

La Jolla, CA 92093

kmeckel@ucsd.edu

Current Working Papers

Are the Inspections Going to Waste? A National Field Test of Machine Learning vs. Expert Judgement to Improve EPA Regulatory Compliance (under disclosure review)

Joint with Jesse Buchsbaum and Michael Greenstone


Dependent Coverage and Parental Job Mobility: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act 

Joint with Hannah Bae and Maggie Shi

Also available as NBER Working Paper 30200


Welfare Implications of Increased Retailer Participation in SNAP

Joint with Anne Byrne, Xiao Dong, Jessie Handbury, and Erik James

Slides


The Effect of Smoking on Mental Health: Evidence from a Randomized Trial

Joint with Katherine Rittenhouse

Also available as NBER Working Paper 29867


Exposure to Cigarette Taxes as a Teenager and the Persistence of Smoking into Adulthood

Joint with Andrew Friedson, Moyan Li, Daniel Rees, and Daniel W. Sacks

Revisions Requested at Health Economics (2nd round)

Also available as NBER Working Paper 29145


Journal Articles

Depression and the Healthfulness of Grocery Purchases

 Joint with Bradley T. Shapiro

Conditionally Accepted at Quantitative Marketing and Economics

Also available as NBER Working Paper 29462

Featured in: Marginal Revolution, MarketWatch


Cigarette Taxes, Smoking, and Health in the Long Run 

Joint with Andrew Friedson, Moyan Li, Daniel Rees, and Daniel W. Sacks

Journal of Public Economics, 222: 104877, June 2023

Also available as NBER Working Paper 29145, IZA Discussion Paper 14644, CESIfo Working Paper 9232 

Featured in: The NBER Bulletin on Health: No. 3, October 2021


Efficiency Versus Equity in the Provision of In-Kind Benefits: Evidence from Cost Containment in the California WIC Program

Joint with Maya Rossin-Slater and Lindsey Uniat

Journal of Human Resources, 58(2): 363-392 , March 2023

Also available as: NBER Working Paper No. 26718, IZA Discussion Paper No. 12957.


Issuance and Incidence: SNAP Benefit Cycles and Grocery Prices 

Joint with Jacob Goldin and Tatiana Homonoff 

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 14(1): 152-178, February 2022

Also available as: NBER Working Paper No.


Is the Cure Worse than the Disease? Unintended Effects of Payment Reform in a Quantity-Based Transfer Program 

American Economic Review, 110(6): 1821-1865, June 2020

Also available as: NBER Working Paper No. 26752


Does Managed Care Widen Infant Health Disparities? Evidence from Texas Medicaid

Joint with Ilyana Kuziemko and Maya Rossin-Slater

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 10(3): 255-283, August 2018

Also available as: NBER Working Paper No. 19198

Featured in: Trade-Offs Podcast


Hydraulic Fracturing and Infant Health: New Evidence from Pennsylvania

Joint with Janet Currie and Michael Greenstone 

Science Advances, 3(12), December 2017

Featured in: Washington Post, Forbes, CNBC 


Something in the Water: Contaminated Drinking Water and Infant Health

Joint with Janet Currie, Joshua Graff Zivin, Matthew Neidell and Wolfram Schlenker 

The Canadian Journal of Economics, 46(3): 791-810, August 2013

Also available as: NBER Working Paper No. 18876

Featured in: Science Daily


 Other Publications

Fetal Origins of Lifetime Health

Joint with Douglas Almond and Janet Currie,

The Encyclopedia of Health Economics, Elsevier, 2014: 309-314


How Will Baby Boomer Retirements Affect Teacher Labor Markets?

Joint with Daniel Aaronson

Economic Perspectives, 33(4): 2-14, November 2009


The Impact of Baby Boomer Retirements on Teacher Labor Markets

Joint with Daniel Aaronson

Chicago Fed Letter, No. 254, September 2008