Bio
Dr. Michael LaForest is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Geosciences and Analyst at the Office of Labor and Economic Analysis. He teaches courses on public economics, and his research focuses on ways to improve criminal justice and education policy, leveraging quasi-experimental, experimental, and structural modeling methods. His work has recently been published in Nature, the Journal of Human Capital, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
Prior to USAFA, Dr. LaForest worked as a postdoctoral scholar with Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center conducting research with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Prior to that, he worked as a research director at the University of Chicago's Crime & Education Lab New York managing a combination of policy evaluations and technical assistance projects for several New York City government agencies. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in economics & political science from the University of Michigan. When not thinking about public policy, Mike enjoys travel, college sports, board games, movies, hiking, theater, and video games.
Education
Ph.D., Economics, University of Virginia (2017)
M.A., Economics, University of Virginia (2012)
B.S., Economics & Political Science, University of Michigan (2007)
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor and Analyst, Office of Labor and Economic Analysis, U.S. Air Force Academy (2023-Present)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Criminal Justice Research Center, Pennsylvania State University (2020-2023)
Research Director, Crime and Education Lab New York, University of Chicago (2017-2020)
Strategy and Change Consultant, IBM Global Business Services (2007-2010)
Publications
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
The Effects of High School Career and Technical Education on Employment, Wages, and Educational Attainment. 2023. Journal of Human Capital 17(1): 39-71.
Knowledge About Others Reduces One's Own Sense Of Anonymity (with Anuj Shah). 2022. Nature 603: 297–301.
Street Light Outages, Public Safety and Crime Attraction (with Aaron Chalfin and Jacob Kaplan). 2022. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 38: 891–919. (top five journal in Criminology)
Can Precision Policing Reduce Gun Violence? Evidence from “Gang Takedowns” in New York City (with Aaron Chalfin and Jacob Kaplan). 2021. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 40(4): 1047-1082.
OTHER REPORTS & PUBLICATIONS
Community Supervision and Public Safety: What We Know and Directions for Future Work (with Jennifer Doleac). July 29, 2022. Arnold Ventures Public Safety Series Report, commissioned by Arnold Ventures.
Comparing COVID-19 Mortality Rates between Prisons and the Community (with Kristofer B. Bucklen), 2022. Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2022.2110174.
Variation in Mental Illness and Provision of Public Services (with William C. Johnson, Brett Lissenden, and Steven Stern). 2017. Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology 17: 1-30.