placeholder image
  • Contact Info
Publications in VIVO

Cadena, Brian C

Associate Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Prof. Cadena has examined the immigration responses to policies and labor market shocks including welfare reform, the minimum wage, and the great recession. He has also examined incomplete take-up of interest-free student loans and the role of impatience in suboptimal human capital investment, including high school and college dropout behavior. His recent publications examine the role of the business cycle in college major choices and the role of migrant networks in transmitting economic shocks across international boundaries. His ongoing research estimates the impact of anti-poverty programs on labor market outcomes and well-being.

keywords

  • immigration, local labor markets, internal migration, welfare policy, human capital, behavioral economics

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ECON 4309 - Economics Honors Seminar 1
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
    For information consult the department's director of honors. Open only to qualified seniors.
  • ECON 4848 - Applied Econometrics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2022
    Introduces students to the practice of applied regression analysis. Summarizes and reviews the regression technique, explores U.S. census data sources, introduces an advanced statistical software package and provides structured exercises in regression analysis of census data. Concludes with independent research projects analyzing social and economic issues using regression analysis and census data.
  • ECON 8686 - Labor Economics 2
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2020 / Spring 2023
    This course focuses on using state-of-the-art econometric techniques, often identified by natural experiments, to 1) quantify causal effects predicted by economic models of the labor market and 2) evaluate the causal impact of labor market policies. Topics include the economics of immigration, the minimum wage, the economics of discrimination, and information constraints and bounded rationality in human capital investment. As a final project, students gather data and perform initial statistical analysis to determine whether a proposed data analysis strategy will successfully lead to a credible answer to a novel causal question in labor economics.
  • ECON 8848 - Applied Microeconometrics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024
    Presents a "user's guide" to conducting empirical research and program evaluation in applied microeconomics. Begins with a primer on an industry-standard econometric software package and a review of linear regression as a statistical technique for summarizing conditional mean relationships in data. Discusses multiple advanced econometric techniques as alternative research strategies including matching methods, difference-in-differences, panel data methods, IV, and regression discontinuity. Concludes with a research project requiring a replication and extension of an existing published paper that uses one or more of these statistical techniques.

Background

International Activities

geographic focus

Other Profiles