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Publication
Parental Educational Investment and Children's Academic RiskThis study uses exogenous variation in sibling sex composition to estimate the causal effect of sibship size on boys' probabilities of private school attendance and grade retention. Using the 1990 U.S. Census, we find that for second-born boys, increased …
Publication
What’s Happened to the Price of College? Quality Adjusted Net Price Indices for Four Year CollegesIn this paper we estimate hedonic models of the (consumer) price of college to construct quality-adjusted net price indexes for U.S. four-year colleges, where the net price of college is defined as tuition and fees minus financial aid. For academic years …
Publication
Non-academic factors associated with dropping out of high school: Adolescent problem behaviorsThis study uses a social capital and collective socialization lens to examine nonacademic factors in middle school that predict students’ failure to complete high school, and focuses on youth who engage in adolescent problem behaviors of smoking …
Alumni In Action
Mhando MbughuniHow did your experiences at NYU Wagner prepare you for your career? I needed a transition to public policy and governance. One of the most invaluable experiences I had at NYU is that I was pushed to think critically. This, in turn, helped me develop …
Publication
Spatially heterogeneous effects of a public works programMost research on labor market effects of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme focuses on outcomes at the district level. This paper shows that such a focus masks substantial spatial heterogeneity: treated villages located near …
Publication
Does Regulatory Supervision Curtail Microfinance Profitability and Outreach?We combine two datasets to examine whether the scale of an economy’s banking system affects the profitability and outreach of microfinance institutions. We find evidence that competition matters. Greater bank penetration in the overall economy is …
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NYC 2025 Now: Crime and Safety in a Vital CityNYC 2025 Now—an opportunity to revisit the original policy proposals of NYU Wagner's NYC 2025 initiative —convened on December 6, 2023, to discuss our city's future. In conversation with distinguished policy and public safety experts, the panel explored …
Publication
Migration Choices of the Boomerang Generation: Does Returning Home Dampen Labor Market Adjustment? This paper documents a linkage between two empirical trends: the low levels of out-migration from weak labor markets, and the increasing rate at which young adults return to live with their parents (‘boomerang’). Using the American Community Survey, we …
Capstone Projects
Creating a UserFriendly, Central Repository of Resources for New and Current Grants ApplicantsThe Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is working to eradicate breast cancer as a lifethreatening disease by advancing research, education, screening, and treatment. The goal of this Capstone project was to determine the …
Capstone Projects
Assessment of Freight Consolidation Methodologies in Midtown ManhattanNew York City Department of Transportation’s (NYCDOT) Office of Freight Mobility works to improve the efficiency and sustainability of freight movement throughout the City. A Capstone team was engaged to identify how consolidation centers can benefit the …
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Admitted Student Day - April 1, 2019Why NYU Wagner? A panel discussion with current students Emmily De Los Santos (MUP), Tiffany Flemming (MPA-HPAM), and Matt Kastellec (MPA-PNP) and facilitated by David Schachter , Associate Dean, Admissions and Student Affairs. … Financial Aid Basics: …
Publication
Social Networks and Homelessness Among Women Heads of HouseholdTo examine possible bidirectional relationships between homelessness and deficient social networks, we compared the networks of 251 mothers before, and approximately 5 years after, their families entered shelters with networks of 291 consistently housed …
Stories
‘I was reminded of the importance of representation.’This post is part of an ongoing series of student reflections on equity, diversity, and inclusion in public service. Yasmine Ali (MPA-PNP 2018) Many cities around the United States—including New York—saw an increase in hate crimes and bias-related …
News
Report Sees Economic Gains in Low-Income Communities From NYC's COVID-era Open Restaurants ProgramNew York City’s outdoor dining initiative drove a 12-fold increase in the dining scene, with more than 12,000 cafes, bars, and restaurants setting up tables on sidewalks or in parking lanes since the program was launched in June of 2020 due to the …
Publication
Small Schools, Large Districts: Small School Reform and New York City’s StudentsHigh school reform is currently at the top of the education policy making agenda after years of stagnant achievement and persistent racial and income test score gaps. Although a number of reforms offer some promise of improving U.S. high schools, small …
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Borrowing for the Public Good: The Growing Importance of Tax-Exempt Bonds for Public CharitiesThe importance of tax-exempt borrowing as a capital source to the nonprofit sector has significantly grown over time. Tax-exempt bonds issued by nonprofits has risen from an inflation-adjusted $106.3 billion in 1993 to $388.5 billion in 2010 representing …
Publication
Same Strategy Different Industry? Corporate Influence on Public Policy. In March 2013 a state judge invalidated New York City's proposal to ban sales of sugar-sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces; the case is under appeal. This setback was attributable in part to opposition from the beverage industry and racial/ethnic …
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HousingBeyond building more housing, how will the next mayor of New York City create a more balanced, comprehensive and equitable housing plan that addresses the range of challenges that housing creates? Housing has many challenges in New York City, from …
Stories
Alumni Spotlight: Gavin Silber (MUP 2015) Name: Gavin Silber Program: Master of Urban Planning, 2015 Current employment: Program Co-Director at the Bertha Foundation “There are few cities in the world like New York that provide exposure to people and organizations from …
Publication
Beyond big versus small: assessing spatial variation of urban neighborhood block structures in high-density citiesA striking feature of urban formation has been the deployment of mega-blocks, often on the order of sixteen hectares or more. On the other hand, recent urban policies give strong suggestions for smaller and finer-grained neighborhood block and grid …
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Revitalizing Urban Governance and Finance in South AsiaSmoke, P. … Revitalizing Urban Governance and Finance in South Asia …
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Accountability and Service Delivery in Decentralizing Environments: Understanding Context and Strategically Advancing ReformSmoke, P. … Accountability and Service Delivery in Decentralizing Environments: Understanding Context and Strategically Advancing …
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Managing Public Sector Decentralization in Developing Countries: Moving Beyond Conventional RecipesP. Smoke … Managing Public Sector Decentralization in Developing Countries: Moving Beyond Conventional Recipes …
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Rethinking Decentralization: Assessing Challenges to a Popular Public Sector ReformP. Smoke … Rethinking Decentralization: Assessing Challenges to a Popular Public Sector Reform …