I study how people and institutions shape the economy.

Tipping the Tax: How Government Surcharges Become Gratuities

with Gabriel Uceda-Sosa

Suggested-tip screens compute percentages of the fee-inclusive total, so eleven cents of every legislated surcharge dollar on New York taxi meters becomes tip.

Working paper PREDOC Summer Research Conference, Chicago Booth (Jul 2026)

When the Message Meets the Moment: State-Dependent Effects of Monetary Policy Surprises on the Term Structure of Inflation Expectations

Whether an FOMC surprise raises or lowers expected inflation depends on whether inflation is demand- or supply-driven — and the state dependence lives in yields and the Cleveland Fed model, not in household or forecaster beliefs.

Working paper World Bank PREDOC Student Research Conference (Aug 2025)

Merit Aid, Sorting, and Institutional Access: Evidence from Tennessee's HOPE Scholarship

with Balint Kidd, Tommy Soltanian, Gabriel Uceda-Sosa

After Tennessee's 2004 HOPE Scholarship, the bottom-quintile share at public colleges rose 1.5 percentage points — merit aid that expanded access rather than concentrating it.

Working paper Economic Scholars Program, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (2026)