Emily Weisburst

I am an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles. My research focuses on topics in labor economics and public finance, including criminal justice and education.

I recently earned my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. While in graduate school, I worked as a Staff Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President and as a research associate for the RAND Corporation on joint projects with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. I have also received the NAED Spencer Dissertation Fellowship to support my research on the impact of funding for police in public schools on student disciplinary outcomes and educational attainment in Texas.

My research interests include understanding factors that impact police decision-making and public trust in police. I am also interested in how interactions with the criminal justice system affect individuals, families and communities. A recent paper examines how much police discretion matters to law enforcement outcomes, after accounting for offense context. In this project, I find that the likelihood that an incident results in an arrest critically depends on the officer that shows up to respond to an offense reported through a police call for service.

Areas of Interest:

Applied Microeconomics, Criminal Justice Policy, Education, Labor Economics, Policing, Quantitative Analysis

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) The University of Texas at Austin (2013 — 2017)
• Master's Degree The University of Texas at Austin (2011 — 2013)
• B.A. Dartmouth College (2004 — 2008)

Working Papers:

• Cho, Sungwoo, Felipe Gonçalves, and Emily Weisburst. 2021. "Do Police Make Too Many Arrests?" IZA Working Paper, 14907.

• Afrouzi, Hassan, Carolina Arteaga, and Emily Weisburst. 2021. "Can Leaders Persuade? Examining Movement in Immigration Beliefs." Working Paper.

• Weisburst, Emily. 2017. "Whose Help is on the Way? The Importance of Individual Police Officers in Law Enforcement Outcomes" (Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Human Resources).

Journal Articles:

• Chalfin, Aaron, Ben Hansen, Emily Weisburst, and Morgan C. Williams, Jr. 2020. "Police Force Size and Civilian Race." National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER Working Paper #28202. (Forthcoming, American Economic Review: Insights).

• Gompers, Paul, Vladimir Mukharlyamov, Emily Weisburst, and Yuhai Xuan. 2021. "Gender Gaps in Venture Capital Performance." Journal of Quantitative and Financial Analysis, 1-58.

• Daugherty, Lindsay, Russell Gerber, Paco Martorell, Trey Miller, and Emily Weisburst. 2021. "Heterogeneity in the Effects of College Course Placement." Research in Higher Education.

• Weisburst, Emily. 2019. "Patrolling Public Schools: The Impact of Funding for School Police on Student Discipline and Long-term Education Outcomes." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 38 (2), 338-365.

• Weisburst, Emily. 2019. "Safety in Police Numbers: Evidence of Police Effectiveness from Federal COPS Grant Applications." American Law and Economics Review 21 (1), 81-109.

• Weisburst, Emily. 2019. "Police Use of Force as an Extension of Arrests: Examining Disparities across Civilian and Officer Race." AEA Papers & Proceedings 109, 152-156.

• Cunha, Jesse, Trey Miller, and Emily Weisburst. 2018. "Information and College Decisions: Evidence from the Texas GO Center Project." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 40 (1), 151-170.

• Weisburst, Emily, Lindsay Daugherty, Paco Martorell, Trey Miller and Jana Cossairt. 2016. "Innovative Pathways through Developmental Education and Post-Secondary Success: An Examination of Developmental Math Interventions Across Texas," The Journal of Higher Education 88 (2), 189-209.

Blog Posts, Policy Memos & Teaching Materials:

• Chalfin, Aaron, Benjamin Hansen, Emily Weisburst and Morgan C. Williams, Jr. May 18, 2021. "When cities add cops, Black residents could have the most to gain - and the most to lose." Niskanen Center.

• Gonçalves, Felipe and Emily Weisburst. 2020. "Economic Research on Racial Disparities in Policing." Econofact.

• Weisburst, Emily. 2018. "Sentencing Reform Update: The Economic Case for the `First Step Act.'

• Weisburst, Emily and Sandra Black. 2017. "The Economic Case for Sentencing Reform." EconoFact.

• Gompers, Paul and Emily Weisburst. 2010. "Founders Fund." Harvard Business School Case Study, HBS N9-211-040, Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing

• Gompers, Paul and Emily Weisburst. 2010. "Charter Communications Bankruptcy." Harvard Business School Case Study, HBS N9-211-035, Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.