Joshua Angrist

Joshua David Angrist was born on September 18, 1960. He would go on to become an influential economist known for his work on labor economics and causal inference. Angrist’s research has had a profound impact on the field of economics, particularly through his development and application of instrumental variables strategies to determine causal relationships in empirical data.

In December 1991, Joshua Angrist published 'Does Compulsory School Attendance Affect Schooling and Earnings?,' a study analyzing the impact of compulsory schooling laws on educational attainment and earnings. This work used innovative econometric techniques to assess the benefits of compulsory education, contributing to policy debates about education requirements. The paper is a classic example of Angrist's approach to using econometrics for identifying causal effects.

In 1996, Joshua Angrist co-authored the seminal paper 'Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables,' published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association. This paper has become fundamental to the use of instrumental variables in econometric analysis, influencing how researchers approach problems of causation and correlation. It has been widely cited for its innovative approach to identifying causal relationships in observational data.

In 1999, Joshua Angrist and his colleagues published a study examining the impact of legal status and the use of public schools and health insurance among Latino children in the U.S. This study was influential in understanding the relationship between immigration status and public goods usage, highlighting disparities faced by children based on their legal status and contributing to the policy discourse on immigration and public benefits.

Joshua Angrist's 2002 paper, 'Vouchers for Private Schooling in Colombia: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Experiment,' examined the effects of a large-scale voucher program on educational outcomes. The study's use of a randomized natural experiment design offered robust evidence that informed global debates on educational policy and vouchers, showcasing the practical applications of Angrist's methodological innovations in econometrics.

In February 2004, Joshua Angrist co-founded the School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative (SEII) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a program dedicated to studying the economics of education. The initiative has supported numerous research projects focused on understanding the factors that contribute to effective schooling and educational inequality. Angrist's leadership in the SEII has been pivotal in advancing research on educational policy.

In August 2009, Joshua Angrist co-authored 'Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion' with Jörn-Steffen Pischke. The book serves as a guide to applied econometric methods, particularly for field experiments and policy evaluations. It has been praised for its accessibility and practical insights, making econometrics more approachable for researchers and policymakers, and has become an essential resource in the field for teaching and reference.

In 2010, Angrist's study 'The Effect of High School Matriculation Rules on Teen Births' was published, exploring how school policies affected teen pregnancy rates. The paper found that changes in high school entry rules had significant impacts on teenage birth rates, contributing to our understanding of how educational policy can have broader social implications. This work is a part of Angrist's extensive research on the economics of education.

In September 2019, Joshua Angrist was appointed as the Ford Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recognizing his contributions to econometrics and education research. This position is a testament to Angrist's influence and leadership in the field of economics, and his ongoing work at MIT continues to shape the understanding of causal relationships in economic data.

On October 11, 2021, Joshua Angrist, along with Guido Imbens and David Card, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships. Angrist's work on natural experiments and instrumental variables has advanced the field of econometrics, enabling researchers to identify and quantify causal effects more accurately. This recognition marks a significant milestone in Angrist's career, highlighting the global impact of his research.