Ethan M.J. Lieber

Ethan M.J. Lieber serves as the Gilbert F. Schaefer Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and holds a Research Associate position at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the health care program. He concurrently directs the Graduate Studies program within the Department of Economics, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses including Health Economics, Econometrics, and Principles of Microeconomics.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Economics, University of Chicago (2013)
• M.A. in Economics, University of Chicago (2008)
• B.A. in Economics, University of Chicago (2004)

Lieber's research program integrates health economics with public finance and industrial organization frameworks. He specializes in analyzing information asymmetries in healthcare markets, particularly examining how consumers and physicians respond to pricing signals and regulatory interventions. His seminal work on the opioid crisis investigates pharmaceutical industry practices, policy responses to drug epidemics, and intergenerational consequences of substance abuse. Additional research strands explore Medicaid program design, physician prescribing behavior influenced by industry payments, and insurance market regulation including medical loss ratios.

Analysis of Lieber's publication record reveals a concentrated focus on the opioid epidemic's origins and socioeconomic impacts since 2018, complemented by ongoing investigations into healthcare market structure. His methodological approach combines quasi-experimental designs with large-scale administrative datasets from Medicare, Medicaid, and prescription drug monitoring programs. Key thematic threads include the causal relationship between pharmaceutical marketing and prescribing patterns, the unintended consequences of drug policy interventions, and the economic mechanisms driving healthcare utilization decisions under information constraints.

In his administrative role as Director of Graduate Studies, Lieber oversees curriculum development and student mentorship within Notre Dame's Economics graduate program. While specific grant funding details aren't disclosed in available materials, his NBER affiliation indicates institutional support for health economics research. His teaching portfolio spans microeconomic theory applications to healthcare markets and advanced econometric techniques for policy evaluation.