Sita Nataraj Slavov

Schar School of Policy and Government 
George Mason University 
3351 Fairfax Drive, MS 3B1 
Arlington, VA 22201 
Phone: 703-993-3171 
Email: sslavov@gmu.edu 
View Sita Slavov's website

FIELDS

Public Finance, Economics of Aging

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Economics, Stanford University, 2003

B.A. in Economics with Mathematics minor (summa cum laude and highest honors in economics), College of William and Mary, 1997

EMPLOYMENT

George Mason University 
Professor of Public Policy, August 2014-present 
Public Policy Ph.D. Program Director, June 2016-August 2020 
Co-Director, Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research, August 2016- present

American Enterprise Institute 
Resident Scholar, July 2012-July 2014

Occidental College 
Associate Professor of Economics, August2008-August 2012 Assistant Professor of Economics, January 2003-August 2008 Instructor of Economics, August 2002-December 2002

Council of Economic Advisers 
Senior Economist, August2007-June 2008

OTHER POSITIONS

National Bureau of Economic Research 
Faculty Research Fellow, May 2015-present, November 2011- December 2012

American Enterprise Institute 
Non-Resident Senior Fellow July 2014-present

Scholars Advisory Group, Alliance for Lifetime Income 
Member, June 2021-present

Journal of Pension Economics and Finance 
Editor, May 2021-present

Public Finance Review 
Associate Editor, February 2017-August 2021

Brookings Institution Retirement Security Project 
Advisory Board Member, September 2018-present

Social Security Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods 
Member, September 2018-September 2019

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

“Can Low Retirement Savings Be Rationalized?” (with Jason Scott, John Shoven, and John Watson), Journal of Retirement, 8(4), Spring 2021, pp. 7-25.

“Pathways to Retirement through Self-Employment” (with Shanthi Ramnath and John Shoven), Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 20(2), April 2021, pp. 232-251.

“The Effect of Retirement on Health Biomarkers” (with Devon Gorry), May 2020, Economics and Human Biology, 40, January 2021, Article 100949.

“Leaving Big Money on the Table: Arbitrage Opportunities in Delaying Social Security” (with Gila Bronshtein, Jason Scott, and John Shoven), Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 78, November 2020, pp. 261-272.

“Retirement Implications of a Low Wage Growth, Low Real Interest Rate Economy” (with Jason Scott, John Shoven, and John Watson), Social Security Bulletin, 80(3), August 2020.

“Survival Ambiguity and Welfare” (with Frank Caliendo and Aspen Gorry), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 170, February 2020, pp. 20-42.

“Do Immigrants Delay Retirement and Social Security Claiming?” (with Mary Lopez), Applied Economics, 52(10), 2020, pp. 1105:1123.

“The Power of Working Longer” (with Gila Bronshtein, Jason Scott, and John Shoven),Journal of Pension Economics and Finance (special conference issue), 18(4), October 2019, pp. 623-644.

“The Cost of Uncertainty about the Timing of Social Security Reform” (with Frank Caliendo and Aspen Gorry), European Economic Review, 118, April 2019, 101-125.

“Work Incentives in the Social Security Disability Benefit Formula” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 18(2), April 2019, 165-189.

“Social Security and Saving: An Update” (with Frank Caliendo, Aspen Gorry, and Devon Gorry), Public Finance Review, 47(2), March 2019, 312-348.

“Does Retirement Improve Health and Life Satisfaction?” (with Aspen Gorry and Devon Gorry), Health Economics, 27(12), December 2018, 2067-2086.

“Understanding Social Security Claiming Decisions Using Survey Evidence” (with John Shoven and David Wise), Journal of Financial Planning, 31(11), November 2018, 35-47.

“The Financial Feasibility of Delaying Social Security: Evidence from Administrative Tax Data” (with Gopi Goda, Shanthi Ramnath, and John Shoven) ,Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 17(4),October 2018, 419-436.

“The Role of Legislative Change in Reducing Domestic Violence Against Women in India”(with Aparna Mathur), Economics Bulletin, 37(4), 2017, 2655-2664.

“Has the Affordable Care Act Increased Part-Time Employment?” (with Aparna Mathur and Michael Strain), Applied Economics Letters, 23(3), 2016, 222-225.

“The Role of Retiree Health Insurance in the Early Retirement of Public Sector Employees” (with John Shoven), Journal of Health Economics (special section: Health Insurance and the American Public Sector Labor Market), 38, December 2014, 99-108.

“Does It Pay to Delay Social Security?” (with John Shoven) Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 13(2),April 2014, 121-144.

“Public versus Private Provision of Public Goods,” Journal of Public Economic Theory, 16(2),April 2014, 222-258.

“Recent Changes in the Gains from Delaying Social Security” (with John Shoven), Journal of Financial Planning, 27(3), March 2014, 32-41.

“Does Retiree Health Insurance Encourage Early Retirement?” (with Steven Nyce, Sylvester Schieber, John Shoven, and David Wise), Journal of Public Economics, 104, August 2013, 40-51.

“Does Widowhood Explain Gender Differences in Out-of-Pocket Medical Spending Among the Elderly?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Journal of Health Economics, 32(3), May 2013, 647-658.

“An Alternative Perspective on Health Inequality” (with Ben Ho), Economics Bulletin, 32(4), 2012,3182-3196.

“Does Stock Market Performance Influence Retirement Intentions?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Journal of Human Resources, 47(4), Fall 2012, 1056-1082.

“A Solution Concept for Majority Rule in Dynamic Settings” (with Doug Bernheim), Review of Economic Studies, 76(1), January 2009, 33-62.

“Age Bias in Fiscal Policy: Why Does the Political Process Favor the Elderly?” Topics in Theoretical Economics, 6(1), 2006, Article 11.

“Some Matrix Techniques in Game Theory”(with Chi-Kwong Li), Mathematical Inequalities and Applications, 3(1), January 2000, 133-141.

“Labor Market Flexibility in East Asia: Lessons from Taiwan” (with Yana Rodgers),Economic Development and Cultural Change, 48(1), October 1999, 51-70.

“Protecting Female Workers in Industrializing Countries” (with Yana Rodgers and Joseph Zveglich), International Review of Comparative Public Policy, 10, 1998, 197-221.

Other Journal Articles and Book Chapters:

“How Does Social Security Reform Indecision Affect Younger Cohorts?”(with John Shoven and John Watson), in

Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of “Working Longer” (Lisa Berkman and Beth C. Truesdale, eds.), Oxford University Press, forthcoming.

“Implicit Taxes on Work from Social Security and Medicare” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), in Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 25 (Jeffrey Brown, ed.), University of Chicago Press, 2011, 69-88.

“How Well Are Social Security Recipients Protected from Inflation?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), National Tax Journal Forum on Social Security, 64(2), June 2011, 429-450.Reprint in Investigations in the Economics of Aging (David Wise, ed.), University of Chicago Press, 2012, 119-139.

“What Explains Changes in Retirement Plans During the Great Recession?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 101(3), May 2011, 29-34.

“Differential Mortality by Income and Social Security Progressivity” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven),in Explorations in the Economics of Aging (David Wise, ed.), University of Chicago Press, 2011, 189-204.

“Removing the Disincentives in Social Security for Long Careers” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), in Social Security Policy in a Changing Environment (Jeffrey Brown, Jeffrey Liebman, and David Wise, eds.),University of Chicago Press, 2009, 21-38.

“Comparing the Risks of Social Security with and without Individual Accounts” (with John Shoven), American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 93(2), May 2003, 348-353.

Working Papers:

“Progressivity, Government Size, and Redistribution in an Optimal Tax Model” (with Weifeng Zhong),AEI Working Paper, May 2021.

“Is Automatic Enrollment Consistent with a Life Cycle Model?” (with Jason Scott, John Shoven, and John Watson),NBER Working Paper no. 28396, January 2021.

“Does the Actuarial Adjustment for Pension Delay Affect Retirement and Claiming Decisions?” (with Devon Gorry and Kyung Min Lee), NBER Working Paper no. 27508, July 2020.

“Do Political Views Move with Short-Run Changes in Macroeconomic Measures?” (with Ben Ho and Seungyup Shin), August 2017.

“The Welfare Cost of Retirement Uncertainty” (with Frank Caliendo, Maria Casanova, and Aspen Gorry), NBER Working Paper no. 22609, September 2016.

“A Tax on Work for the Elderly: Medicare as Secondary Payer” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), NBER Working Paper no. 13383, September 2007.

“Social Security and the Timing of Divorce”(with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), NBER Working Paper no. 13382, September 2007.

“Political Risk versus Market Risk in Social Security” (with John Shoven), NBER Working Paper no. 12135, April 2006. “Has the Unified Budget Undermined the Federal Government Trust Funds?” (with John Shoven),NBER Working Paper no. 10953, December 2004.

“Income Redistribution with Majoritarian Politics” (with Doug Bernheim), June 2004.

Policy Papers, Encyclopedia Entries, and Book Reviews:

“Social Security Earnings Test Isn’t Reallya Tax [Letter to the Editor]” (with Alan Viard),Tax Notes Federal, July 26, 2021.

“A Framework for Understanding Universal Basic Income,” Tax Notes Federal, February22, 2021.

“No Free Lunch: The Federal Fiscal Imbalance Is Still a Problem” (with Alan Viard),Tax Notes Federal, November16, 2020.

“A VAT-Financed Universal Basic Income Can Still Be Progressive [Letter to the Editor]”(with Alan Viard),Tax Notes Federal, September 28, 2020.

“The Right Way to Make Social Security and Medicare More Progressive” (with Alan Viard),Tax Notes Federal, November 25, 2019.

“The Wrong Way to Make Social Security and Medicare More Progressive” (with Alan Viard), Tax Notes Federal, September 16, 2019.

“Book Review: The Origins of Behavioural Public Policy (by Adam Oliver),” American Review of Public Administration, 49(5), July 2019, 629-630.

“Retirement Brings Health and Happiness” (with Aspen Gorry and Devon Gorry), Public Health Post, February11, 2019.

“Taxes, Transfers, Progressivity, and Redistribution: Part 3” (with Alan Viard), Tax Notes, November 26, 2018, 1109- 1121.

“Increasing Your Retirement Resources: The Power of Working Longer” (with John Shoven and Jason Scott),American Association of Institutional Investors Journal, July 2018.

“Implicit Taxes on Work at Older Ages” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), NBER Reporter, no. 2, June 2018.

“An Investigation of State Tax Progressivity,” (with Cody Kallen and Alan Viard), State Tax Notes, September 18, 2017, 1143-1152.

“Taxes, Transfers, Progressivity, and Redistribution: Part 2” (with Alan Viard),Tax Notes, September 26, 2016, 1879- 1889.

“Taxes, Transfers, Progressivity, and Redistribution: Part 1” (with Alan Viard),Tax Notes, September 5, 2016, 1437-1450.

“Book Review: Get What's Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security(by Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Philip Moeller and Paul Solman),” Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 15(1), January 2016, 121-123.

“Measuring Inequality: One Size Does Not Fit All” (with Ben Ho), AEI Economic Perspectives, April 2014.

“The Tax Treatment of the Family”(with Aspen Gorry)AEI Economic Perspectives, May 2013.

“Marginal and Average Rates in Optimal Tax Policy” (with Aspen Gorry),Tax Notes, April 1, 2013, 83-88.

“Financing Entitlements and Promoting Work: Does Policy Encourage Early Retirement?” (with Aspen Gorry), AEI Economic Perspectives, December 2012.

“Should the Top Marginal Income Tax Rate Be 73%?” (with Aparna Mathur and Michael Strain), Tax Notes, November 19, 2012, 905-915.

“Dependency Ratio,” in Encyclopedia of Social Problems(Vincent N. Parrillo, ed.), Sage Publications, 2008, 221-222.

GRANTS

“Longer Working Lives, Paper #1: Firm and Worker Response to Proposals to Reduce the Tax Wedge on Working for Older Americans” (with Bob Clark and John Shoven), Sloan Foundation (through NBER), 2018-2020, PI: Kevin Milligan.

NVIDIA Corporation, “Opinionated News” (with Julian Chan and Weifeng Zhong),GPU seeding gift (direct donation of a

GPU to support the project), awarded Spring 2019.

“Slow Growth, Low Returns, Retirement and Working Longer: Recalibrating Strategy in Mid- and Late-Career” (with Gila Bronshtein, Jason Scott, and John Shoven), Sloan Foundation (through Stanford University with subcontract to George Mason), 2017-19. PI: John Shoven, PI for George Mason subcontract: Sita Slavov.

“Survival Ambiguity and Welfare” (with Frank Caliendo and Aspen Gorry), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2016-17, PI: Jeffrey Brown.

“The Impact of Social Security on Private Saving” (with Aspen Gorry, Devon Gorry, and Frank Caliendo), Mercatus Center, 2016-17.

“Pathways to Retirement and the Self-Employed” (with John Shoven),Sloan Foundation (through Stanford University with subcontract to George Mason), 2015-16. PI: John Shoven, PI for George Mason subcontract: Sita Slavov.

“Work Incentives in the Social Security Disability Benefit Formula”(with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Mercatus Center, 2015.

“Facilitating Work at Older Ages – 2015 Continuation, papers #4, 6, and 7” (with Steve Nyce , Sylvester Schieber, John Shoven, and David Wise), Sloan Foundation (through NBER), 2014-16, PI: David Wise.

“Using Firm Benefits Data to Understand Labor Force Decision-Making” (with John Shoven and David Wise), National Institute on Aging Pilot Award (through the NBER Center for Aging and Health Research), 2014-15, PI: David Wise.

“Measuring Inequality: One Size Does Not Fit All” (with Benjamin Ho), Koch Foundation (through Vassar College),2013- 14, PI: Benjamin Ho.

“Facilitating Work at Older Ages: Approaches and Implications, Project 2: Collaboration with Towers Watson” (with Steve Nyce, Sylvester Schieber, John Shoven, and David Wise),Sloan Foundation (through NBER), 2010-13, PI: David Wise.

“Social Security Claiming Behavior in the Health and Retirement Study” (with John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2012-13,PI: David Wise.

“Series versus Parallel Retirement Income Strategies” (with John Shoven), Sloan Foundation (through Stanford University), 2011-12, PI: John Shoven.

“Financing Retirement with Social Security and Defined Contribution Balances: The Sequential Strategy” (with John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2011-12, PI: David Wise.

“Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses Amongst Elderly Social Security Recipients: Gender and Living Arrangements” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2010-11, PI: David Wise.

“Does Stock Market Performance Influence Retirement Intentions?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2009-10,PI: David Wise.

“How Well Are Social Security Recipients Protected from Inflation?” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2008-09,PI: David Wise.

“Differential Mortality by Income and Social Security Progressivity” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven) National Institute on Aging Pilot Award (through NBER Program on Economics of Aging), 2007-08, PI: David Wise.

“Social Security and the Timing of Divorce” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven),Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2006-07, PI: David Wise.

“A Tax on Work for the Elderly: Medicare as a Secondary Payer” (with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2006-07,PI: David Wise.

“Removing the Disincentives in Social Security for Long Careers”(with Gopi Goda and John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2005-06,PI: David Wise.

“Political Risk versus Market Risk in Social Security” (with John Shoven), Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2004-05, PI: David Wise.

“Has the Unified Budget Undermined the Federal Government Trust Funds?”(with John Shoven),Social Security Administration (through the NBER Retirement Research Center), 2003-04,PI: David Wise.

ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS

2020: 
NBER Conference on Facilitating Longer Working Lives (online) 
COVID-19 Work in Progress Conference, University of Southern California (online)

2019: 
Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies(Cambridge, MA) 
NBER Workshop on Employer Concerns Associated with an Aging Workforce (Cambridge, MA) 
International Pension Research Association Conference (Paris, France) 
Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research Faculty Symposium(Arlington, VA)

2018 
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference (Washington, DC) 
Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (with John Shoven; Stanford, CA) 
Tax Economists Forum (with Alan Viard; Washington, DC) 
NBER Conference on Incentives and Limitations of Employment Policies on Retirement Transitions (with John Shoven; Jackson, WY) 
Wofford College, senior economics major seminar (Spartanburg, SC) School of Business, George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) 
Virginia Social Science Association (Richmond, VA)

2017 
National Tax Association Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA) 
Consumer Expenditure Surveys Microdata Users’ Workshop (Washington, DC) 
Workshop on the Increase in Work at Older Ages, Institute for Fiscal Studies (London, England)

2016: 
National Tax Association Annual Conference (Washington, DC) 
International Atlantic Economic Society Conference (Washington, DC) 
Schar School Brown Bag, George Mason University (Arlington, VA) 
Population Association of America (Washington, DC)

2015: 
National Tax Association Annual Conference (Boston, MA) 
Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (Stanford, CA) 
Tax Economists Forum (Washington, DC) 
Utah State University (Logan, UT)

2014: 
Schar School Microeconomic Policy Seminar, George Mason University (Arlington, VA) 
Schar School Brown bag, George Mason University (Arlington, VA) 
Western Economic Association International Annual Conference (Boulder, CO) 
School of Public Policy, George Mason University (Arlington, VA)

2013: 
Tax Economists Forum(with Aparna Mathur and Michael Strain; Washington, DC) 
Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (Stanford, CA) 
Conference on State and Local Health Plans for Active and Retired Public Employees, National Bureau of Economic Research (Jackson, WY)

2012: 
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference (Baltimore, MD) Brookings Institution (Washington, DC) 
14^th Annual Retirement Research Consortium Conference (Washington, DC) ShovenFest conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (Stanford, CA) 
Workshop on Facilitating Longer Working Lives, Institute for Fiscal Studies(London, England) Cornerstone Research (Washington, DC) 
Bates White (Washington, DC) 
U.S. Treasury Department (Washington, DC)

2011: 
Heritage Foundation (Washington, DC) 
International Atlantic Economic Society Conference (Washington, DC) 
Cato Institute (Washington, DC)

2010: 
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference (Boston, MA) 
Center for Study of Public Choice, George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) 
12^th Annual Retirement Research Consortium Conference (Washington, DC) 
Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education, Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic)

2008: 
College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA) University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)

2006: 
Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings (Charleston, SC)

2004: 
Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA) 
Western Economic Association International Annual Conference (Vancouver, BC)

2003: 
American Economic Association Annual Meeting (Washington, DC)

2002: 
University of Texas (Austin, TX) 
University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT) 
Georgetown University (Washington, DC) 
Brown University (Providence, RI) 
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) 
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

TEACHING

George Mason University:

Game Theory (undergraduate) 
Tools for Economic Policy Analysis (undergraduate; equivalent to principles of economics) 
Managerial Economics (masters; equivalent to microeconomic theory) 
U.S. Financial Policy, Processes, and Procedures (masters; equivalent to public finance) 
Professional Development Workshop (Ph.D.) 
Research Design for Public Policy (Ph.D.) 
Economics of Aging in the U.S. (Ph.D. and masters)

American Enterprise Institute:

Democratic Capitalism: Principles and Practice(Summer Institute, July 7-11, 2014; co-taught with Michael Strain) 
Economics and Public Policy(Summer Institute, July 1-12, 2013;co-taught with Aparna Mathur and Michael Strain) 
Microeconomic Policy(Summer Institute, June 18-22, 2012;co-taught with Kevin Hassett)

Occidental College:

Economics of Information (undergraduate) 
Public Finance (undergraduate) 
Game Theory (undergraduate) 
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (undergraduate) 
Applied Econometrics (undergraduate) 
Principles of Economics II (undergraduate) 
First-year Writing Seminar(undergraduate) 
Senior Seminar – Advanced Microeconomic Analysis (undergraduate)

THESES/RESEARCH SUPERVISED

George Mason University:

Abu Bakkar Siddique (dissertation committee member); Tucker Omberge (dissertation committee member); Victoria Bryant (dissertation committee chair); Kyung Min Lee (dissertation committee member, 2019); Elizabeth Neglia (dissertation committee member); Solomiya Schpak (dissertation committee member), Chanup Jeung (dissertation committee member); Mee Jung Kim (dissertation committee member).

Occidental College:

Zhengyi Zhou (honors thesis adviser, 2010; published: American Economist, Spring 2013); Jonathan Brogaard (Richter Scholarship adviser, 2005); Chris Smutny (honors thesis adviser, 2005); Lauren Posin (honors thesis adviser, 2004); Lauretta Wild (honors thesis adviser, 2004).

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Journal Referee: 

Games and Economic Behavior; Journal of Political Economy (2 manuscripts); Econometrica (2 manuscripts); Southern Economic Journal (2 manuscripts); Feminist Economics (3 manuscripts); Journal of Pension Economics and Finance (10 manuscripts); Social Choice and Welfare; American Economist; International Economic Review; International Tax and Public Finance; Journal of Public Economic Theory; Economics Letters; Economica; National Tax Journal (3 manuscripts); Journal of Health Economics; Behavioral Science and Policy; Journal of Public Economics (5 manuscripts); Journal of Economic Policy Reform; Mercatus Center working papers (3 manuscripts); Economics Bulletin (2 manuscripts); Economic Inquiry (2 manuscripts); World Medical and Health Policy; Social Security Bulletin; Public Finance Review; SAGE Open (article editor); Economic Modelling; International Journal of Manpower; American Economic Journal: Economic Policy (2 manuscripts); Review of Financial Studies; Macroeconomic Dynamics; Review of Development Economics; Review of Economics and Statistics; Small Business Economics; Economics and Human Biology

Grant Proposal Referee:

Smith Richardson Foundation; National Science Foundation; Sloan Foundation (2 proposals)

Conference Service:

Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2020, discussant) 
Allied Social Sciences Association (2020, discussant) 
Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2018, discussant) 
NBER Conference on Incentives and Limitations of Employment Policies on Retirement Transitions (2018, discussant) 
National Tax Association Annual Meeting (2017, session chair and discussant) 
19^th Annual Retirement Research Consortium Meeting (2017, discussant) National Tax Association Annual Meeting (2016, discussant) 
International Atlantic Economic Society (2016,discussant) 
APPAM Regional Student Conference (2016, session chair) 
National Tax Association Annual Meeting (2015, program committee member) 
Capital Flows and Financial Development in Emerging Markets workshop, George Mason University (2015, session chair) 
Advances in Policy and Politics Conference, George Mason University (2015, discussant) Working Longer and Retirement Conference, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2014, discussant) 
Western Economic Association International Annual Conference (2014,discussant) International Atlantic Economic Society Conference (2011, discussant) 
11^th Annual Retirement Research Consortium Meeting (2009, discussant) 
Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings (2006, discussant) 
Western Economic Association International Annual Conference (2004,discussant) 
Wallis Institute for Political Economy Annual Conference (2003, discussant) 
Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings (2006, session organizer)

PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND SELECTED MEDIA INTERVIEWS

“Saving More for Retirement vs. Working Longer,” (Q&A with Lisa Ward),Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2018.

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, “Social Security Claiming Decisions: What Does the Research Show?” Washington, DC, September 14, 2016.

U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, “Survivor and Spousal Benefits in the Social Security Retirement Program” Washington, DC, December 9, 2014.

SELECTED NONACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

2020: 
Bipartisan Policy Center: Social Security claiming: Opportunities and considerations

2019: 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Retirement Security Advisory Panel

2018: 
Wofford College (talk for general community) AARP panel discussion

2017: 
Bogleheads (Washington, DC chapter) 
AARP Public Policy Institute Social Security Policy Innovations Roundtable (discussant)

2016: 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Expert Panel: The State of Retirement 
Academic Careers Panel for public policy PhD students 
CV Development Workshop for public policy Ph.D. students

2015: 
AARP Public Policy Institute Innovation Roundtable (to identify and discuss innovative options for Social Security) CV Development Workshop for public policy Ph.D. students

2014: 
National Academy of Social Insurance roundtable discussion

2013: 
AARP Hill briefing on cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security American Enterprise Institute Free Enterprise Boot Camp American Enterprise Institute World Forum

2012: 
Economic Trends Workshop (expert panel), RAND Corporation/Institute for Mobility Research

2009: 
“Women of Power” panel, Occidental College 
IOUSA post-screening panel, Occidental College

2008: 
Financial crisis panel, Occidental College

2005: 
Representative Jane Harman’s town hall meeting debate on Social Security reform

2004: 
Summer Institute for High School Teachers, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

OP-EDS AND BLOG POSTS

Misperceptions about the Social Security Earnings Test Need to Be Corrected” (with Alan Viard),Bloomberg Tax, August

16, 2021.

“Welcome, Don’t Censor, Alternative Viewpoints,” National Review, May 29, 2021.

“It’s Time to Do Away with the Social Security Earnings Test,” Bloomberg Tax, April 9, 2021. “Universal Basic Income Should Balance the Benefits and Costs,” The Hill, March 10, 2021.

“401(k) autoenrollment—does one size really fit all?” (with Jason Scott, John B. Shoven, and John G. Watson), Bloomberg Tax, February 24, 2021.

“For Presidents, Is 78 the New 68” AEIdeas (AEI Blog), November30, 2020.

“Social Security Framing– Benefit Claiming Can Be Delayed Beyond Retirement,” Bloomberg Tax, November25, 2020. “Sound the Alarm on the Federal Debt” (with Alan Viard), The Hill, November 23, 2020.

“The Tradeoff Between Civil Liberties and Public Health,” AEIdeas (AEI Blog), November 6, 2020. “How Do We Know When ‘Experts Agree’?”(with Ben Ho), AEIdeas (AEI Blog), October 30, 2020. “Why Has Trust in Experts Declined?” AEIdeas (AEI Blog), September 16, 2020.

“Here’s How to Cope if COVID-19 Forces Changes in Your Retirement Plans” (with John Shoven), USA Today, August29, 2020.

“The Problem with Pandemic Shaming”(with Ben Ho), AEIdeas (AEI Blog), July 14, 2020.

“Americans are Learning to Live in a Riskier World” (with Shanthi Nataraj), OC Register, July 2, 2020.

“Do the protests show that COVID-19doesn’t spread outdoors? It’s complicated.” AEIdeas( AEI Blog), June 25, 2020.

“The Best Way to Fix Social Security” (with Alan Viard), The Hill, February7, 2020.

“Working a Little Longer Pays Big Dividends for Retirement” (with John Shoven, Gila Bronshtein, and Jason Scott), Real Clear Policy, March 29, 2018.

“Understanding the Effects of Uncertainty about the Timing of Retirement” (with Frank Caliendo, Maria Casanova, and Aspen Gorry), VoxEU.org, November16, 2016.

"Time for a New Approach to Taxes and Inequality" (with Alan Viard),Real Clear Markets, October 24, 2016.

“Why Uber Should Ban Tipping,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), June 21, 2016.

“America's First World Inequality Problem,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), July 24, 2014. “Dave Brat's No ‘Free Market Guy’ on Immigration,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), June 26, 2014.

“Higher Ed's Echo Chamber,” U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog),May 29, 2014.

“Minimum Wage, Maximum Harm” (with Aspen Gorry), U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), May 1, 2014.

“How to Fairly Tax Families,” The American, April15, 2014.

“The Bright Side of Higher College Tuition” (with Ben Ho), U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog), March 20, 2014.

“Stop Wishing for the Return of Manufacturing Jobs” (with Ben Ho), U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog), February 13, 2014.

“A Carbon Tax Beats a Vacuum Ban,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), January 23, 2014. “Obamacare Hasn't Caused a Shift to Part-Time Work ... Yet” (with Aparna Mathur), U.S. News and World Report

(Economic Intelligence blog), January2, 2014.

“How to Fix Grade Inflation,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), December 26, 2013. “Don't Believe the ‘Experts,’ Imports Are Beautiful,” Real Clear Markets, December 18, 2013.

“It’s Not the Government’s Job to Regulate Manners,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), December17, 2013.

“The Fantasy of Just Taxing the Rich,” U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog),November 21, 2013.

“The Myth That Baby Boomers Are Stealing Jobs,” U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog),October 31,

2013.

“The Hidden Cost of Bank Bailouts,” U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog), September 26, 2013.

“In the New, Empowered India, Women Are Less Likely to Be Walked on and Abused”(with Aparna Mathur),Forbes, September 18, 2013.

“Tattoo Waiting Periods: Protecting Us from Ourselves?” AEIdeas (AEI blog), September 17, 2013.

“How Your Doctor Is Driving Up Health Care Costs,” U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence Blog),August 22, 2013.

“More Money, Less Partisanship?” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), July 24, 2013.

“Rethinking Tax Breaks for Homeowners,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), June 27, 2013.

“A New Set of Graduates Faces Social Security Uncertainty” (with Aspen Gorry), U.S. News and World Report(Economic Intelligence blog),May 30, 2013.

“Tax Individuals, Not Couples”(with Aspen Gorry) Real Clear Markets, May 22, 2013.

“How Politicians Buy Votes by Doling Out Public Worker Benefits,” U.S. News and World Report (Economic Intelligence blog), May 2, 2013.

“The Penalties of Our Tax Code,” The American, April 12, 2013.

“Here We Go Again on Housing,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), April 5, 2013.

“Tax Progressivity: It's Not Just the Burden of the Rich” (with Aspen Gorry), Real Clear Markets, April 3, 2013. “The Shrinking Health Gap” (with Ben Ho), The American, March 26, 2013.

“The Bias Against Working Women” (with Aspen Gorry), Los Angeles Times, March 22, 2013, p. A21.

“To Protect Future Generations, Fix Social Security” (with Aspen Gorry), The Daily Caller, February 13, 2013. “Could 9 out of 10 Economists Be Wrong?” AEIdeas (AEI blog), February 8, 2013.

“Regulating Violent Video Games: It’s Tipper Gore versus Dee Snider All Over Again,” AEIdeas (AEI blog),January 15, 2013.

“The Value of Political Connections,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), January2, 2013.

“How to Restructure Social Security” (with Aspen Gorry), Real Clear Markets, December 19, 2012. “Too Large to be Left Out,” New York Times (Room for Debate blog), December 4, 2012.

“Let’s Raise Taxes on the Middle Class,” The American, November 16, 2012. “Negotiation and the Gender Pay Gap,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), November 9, 2012. “Social Security’s War on Working Wives,” Real Clear Markets, October17, 2012. “Why Taxing Capital Income is Unfair,” AEIdeas (AEI blog), October 17, 2012.

“Surviving Academe’s Liberal Bias,” Chronicle of Higher Education (The Conversation blog),October 3, 2012.

“9 out of 10 Economists Agree,”AEIdeas (AEI blog),October 2, 2012.

“Who Really Benefits from Big Government,” AEIdeas (AEI blog),September 26, 2012.

“The Health Hazards of Recessions for Older Workers,”AEIdeas (AEI blog),September 12, 2012.

“Beware of Predatory Lenders? No, Fear Predatory Borrowers,” Real Clear Markets, July 12, 2012. “Making Economic Policy,” Oxy Economics Alumni Newsletter, 2008.

“The Economics and Politics of Social Security Reform,” Oxy Economics Alumni Newsletter, 2004.

INSTITUTIONAL SERVICE

George Mason University:

Member, Fisher (Best Public Policy Dissertation) Award Selection Committee (Spring 2017-Spring 2019) 
Chair, Public Policy Ph.D. Student Admissions Committee (Spring 2017-Spring 2019) Chair, Macroeconomics Search Committee (Fall 2017-Spring 2018) 
Chair, Public Policy PhD Program Working Group (Spring 2018) 
Member, School of Public Policy Legacy Committee on Retention, Promotion, and Tenure (Fall 2015-Fall 2018) 
Member, Public Policy Ph.D. Student Admissions Committee (Spring 2016) Member, Schar School Study Leave Committee (Fall 2015) 
Member, Schar School Search Committee for Economics (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) Member, Schar School Undergraduate Programs and Experience Transition Committee (Fall 2014-Spring 2015)

American Enterprise Institute:

Moderator, More or Better: Rethinking Social Security for the 21^st Century (event), January 2014 
Moderator, Free Enterprise Boot Camps (series of three conferences for undergraduates), March 2013-May 2013 
Moderator and Co-Organizer, Improving Work Incentives and Fairness in Social Security and Medicare (event), March 28, 2013

Occidental College:

Faculty Co-Advisor, Blyth Fund (student-managed portion of endowment), Fall 2009-Fall 2010 
Treasurer, Phi Beta Kappa(local chapter), Spring 2003-Spring 2005, Spring 2009- Spring 2010 
Member, Teaching Innovations Committee (Fall 2009-Spring 2010) 
Member, Economics Department Search Committee (several searches between 2002 and 2010) 
Member, Subcommittee on Finance(Fall 2008-Spring 2009) 
Honors Program Coordinator, Economics Department, Fall 2006-Spring 2007, Fall 2008-Spring 2010 
Member, Undergraduate Awards Committee (Fall 2003-Spring 2004, Fall 2006- Spring 2007) 
Affirmative Action Representative, Mathematics Department Search Committee (Fall 2004-Spring 2005) 
Faculty Associate, Braun Residence Hall, Occidental College, Fall 2003-Spring 2004

HONORS AND AWARDS

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Fall 1997-Spring 2002

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (awarded each quarter to 4-6 teaching assistants in economics department), Department of Economics, Stanford University, Spring 1999

Graduated with 4.0/4.0 overall GPA, College of William and Mary, May 1997

Lord Botetourt Medal (for graduating senior achieving the greatest distinction in scholarship), College of William and Mary, May 1997

Ann Callahan Chappell Award (for top fall initiate of Phi Beta Kappa chapter), College of William and Mary, December 1996