IAP 2018 Activities by Sponsor - Economics

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

SCHEDULE 

12:50-1:00 Opening Remarks

1:00-2:30 Social Policy: Taxation, Health Care and Social Security | Peter Diamond, Amy Finkelstein, Jason Furman, Jon Gruber, James Poterba

2:40-3:00 Coffee Break

3:00-4:30 Financial (De) Regulation | Ricardo Caballero, Kristin Forbes, Deborah Lucas, Jeremy Stein, Chester Spatt

4:30-5:00 Coffee Break

5:00-6:30 Populism on the Rise: Causes and Consequences |   Daron Acemoglu, Michael Piore, John Van Reenen, Dani Rodrik, James Snyder

 

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

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Social Policy

Jan/24

Wed

01:00PM-02:30PM

Bldg 26, Room 10

Social Policy: Taxation, Health Care and Social Security 

Peter Diamond, Amy Finkelstein, Jason Furman, Jon Gruber, James Poterba

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Financial (De) Regulation

Jan/24

Wed

03:00PM-04:30PM

bldg 26 Room 100

Financial (De) Regulation

Ricardo Caballero, Chester Spatt, Kristin Forbes, Deborah Lucas, Jeremy Stein

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Populism on the Rise

Jan/24

Wed

05:00PM-06:30PM

bldg 26 Room 100

Populism on the Rise: Causes and Consequences 

Daron Acemoglu, Michael Piore, John Van Reenen, Dani Rodrik, James Snyder

Alberto Abadie, Dave Donaldson, Heidi Williams, Martin Beraja, Michael Dennis Whinston, Simon Jaeger

Jan/31

Wed

01:00PM-02:30PM

E51-372

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The transition from course-taking to dissertation-writing is one of the most difficult parts of graduate school.  A faculty panel will describe strategies for navigating this transition.  They will discuss where to turn for help and guidance, pitfalls to avoid, and distill lessons from their own experiences as students and as advisers.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, E52-405, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

Randall Lewis, Netflix (MIT PhD Econ 2010)

Jan/29

Mon

02:30PM-04:00PM

E51-395

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

There are many great jobs at internet companies available to well-trained economists. In this talk, I will discuss several career paths of economists working in tech, day-to-day life on the job, and how economists can contribute based on my decade of experience working tech companies. My discussion will be complemented by a real-world technical research project titled Incrementality Bidding & Attribution which outlines a decision engine built on the foundations of machine learning and causal econometrics.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

Todd Hall, Policy Associate, J-PAL North America

Jan/30

Tue

04:30PM-05:30PM

E51-372

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

State and local governments are actively innovating and experimenting with approaches to address complex policy challenges. Yet they often lack the benefit of rigorous evidence about which policies and programs are most effective. J-PAL North America, a research center in the MIT Department of Economics, hosts the State and Local Innovation Initiative to support US governments in launching randomized evaluations to inform their policy questions. Come hear how five jurisdictions partnered with academic researchers to address pressing issues, from understanding the impact of summer jobs programs to studying the effects of different Medicaid managed care plans. This talk will highlight real-world challenges to implementing randomized evaluations in government and may be especially interesting for students interested in careers in public policy or government.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Todd Hall, thall@povertyactionlab.com

Vincent Quan, Policy Manager (J-PAL North America), Sophie Shank, Policy Associate (J-PAL North America)

Jan/23

Tue

04:30PM-05:30PM

E51-395

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Technology has the potential to help overcome challenges long considered intractable in education. The U.S. education technology—or “edtech”—industry is projected to be worth $21 billion by 2020. Yet the growth in edtech has far outpaced rigorous research on which uses of technology truly help students learn. Should schools invest in giving a laptop to every student? What types of educational software have been shown to support learning, especially for students who struggle with traditional instruction? Can low-cost text-message reminders increase college enrollment? Can online courses increase access to education among non-traditional learners? Existing educational inequality raise the stakes behind these questions—without clear evidence, policymakers may struggle to identify or scale up uses of technology that close gaps in educational achievement.

Researchers at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), based at the MIT Department of Economics, reviewed more than 100 studies to assess what we know about the impacts of different uses of education technology. Come hear what rigorous research says about the most promising uses of technology in education and how ed-tech can be leveraged to address persistent inequality. 

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Todd Hall, thall@povertyactionlab.org

Christian Catalini, Theodore T. Miller Career Development Professor

Jan/16

Tue

10:30AM-11:30AM

E51-372

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

The talk will provide an overview of how blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies may affect the rate and direction of innovation, market structure and competition between digital platforms, reputation systems and auctions, the provision of public goods and software protocols, data ownership, privacy and licensing. 

It will also give an overview of the recently launched MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab, and of potential research projects at the intersection of economics, innovation and computer science.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Christian Catalini, Catalini@mit.edu

Peter Temin, Gray Professor Emeritus of Economics

Jan/10

Wed

10:30AM-12:00PM

E51-376

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Desription and discussion of the recent book of that name, based on the Lewis model, with an epilogue on the first year of President Trump to be published when the paper edition comes out next spring.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Peter Temin, ptemin@mit.edu

Robert Gibbons, Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management, Roberto Rigobon, Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management

Jan/30

Tue

01:00PM-02:30PM

E51-372

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

We will discuss (1) differences across business schools, including how faculty are evaluated in terms of research versus teaching, as well as (2) differences within business schools, including how economists working on different topics might fit in different faculty groups.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, E52-405, mareny@mit.edu

Patrick McNeal, IT Manager, J-PAL Global

Jan/31

Wed

10:30AM-11:30AM

56-162

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

This session will give an overview of how the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) uses Salesforce to track and manage our research around the global, track IRB compliance and manage lab hardware resources, with useful takeaways for other labs considering using Salesforce or looking to take their Salesforce use to the next level.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

Rob Rogers, Policy Associate, J-PAL Global

Jan/31

Wed

02:30PM-04:00PM

4-149

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

What are effective ways to encourage parents in Kenya to send their daughters to school? What can we do to improve student learning in primary and secondary schools worldwide? These are questions researchers in the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) network, including several professors in the Department of Economics, grapple with every day. Join J-PAL Policy staff for a conversation about how researchers in the J-PAL network use randomized controlled trials to test different approaches to improve educational outcomes around the world. We’ll talk about what types of programs and policies work, what types don’t, and why, and discuss how J-PAL’s staff around the world are using this evidence to influence real-world policy decisions.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

Sam Carter, Policy Associate, Lucia Diaz-Martin, Senior Policy Associate, Eliza Keller, Policy and Communications Manager, Aprille Knox, Senior Policy Associate

Feb/01

Thu

01:00PM-02:30PM

4-153

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

How can major anti-poverty programs be designed and implemented to ensure low-income families receive benefits they are eligible for? Why are 2 billion people worldwide unbanked, and what can be done to expand access to and impact of financial products for low-income households? These are questions researchers in the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) network, including several professors in the Department of Economics, grapple with every day. Join J-PAL Policy staff for a conversation about how researchers in the J-PAL network use randomized controlled trials to test different approaches to reducing corruption, improving access to finance, and generating livelihoods. We’ll talk about what types of programs and policies work, what types don’t, and why, and discuss how J-PAL’s staff around the world are using this evidence to influence real-world policy decisions.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU

Johny Bien-Aime, IT Associate, J-PAL Global

Feb/02

Fri

10:30AM-11:30AM

56-162

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

This session will share best practices and lessons learned from using Webex as the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) primary video conferencing solution for connecting with participants around the globe. It will be useful for other labs or individuals looking for video conference solutions when working with international partners.

Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Maren Young, 617 258-6549, MARENY@MIT.EDU