Douglas Miller

Douglas Miller is a Professor at Cornell University, affiliated with both the Brooks School of Public Policy and the Economics Department. His work focuses on applied econometrics and social policy, particularly policies impacting demographically and economically vulnerable populations. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Miller’s research examines the interplay between economic conditions and health outcomes, including studies on tax policy, social welfare programs like Head Start, and pro-cyclical mortality trends. He also develops statistical tools to enhance public policy analysis, such as methods for cluster-robust inference and synthetic control estimators. His work bridges econometric methodology with practical policy evaluation, emphasizing evidence-based decision-making.

Key research themes include understanding how economic fluctuations affect mortality rates, assessing the long-term impacts of early childhood interventions, and refining statistical techniques for policy evaluation. His contributions to cluster-robust inference have become foundational in applied econometrics, while his analyses of tax auditing and Head Start’s lasting effects highlight his focus on real-world policy applications.