Emily Oster

Emily Oster is a Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs at Brown University. Her research applies economic methodologies to health and education decisions, notably parenting choices during pregnancy and childhood. She gained public prominence for data-driven analyses of COVID-19 school policies through her National COVID-19 School Response Dashboard.

Her work challenges conventional wisdom using cost-benefit frameworks, emphasizing individual choice optimization in areas like alcohol consumption during pregnancy and school reopening protocols. She advocates for evidence-based policy decisions while critiquing precautionary principle applications.