Parag Pathak

Parag Pathak is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the programs on Education, Public Economics, and Industrial Organization. He serves as founding co-director of the NBER Working Group on Market Design.

His educational background includes:

• A.B. in Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 2002
• S.M. in Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 2002
• Ph.D. in Business Economics, Harvard University, 2007

Pathak's research centers on market design applications in education policy, specifically developing and evaluating student assignment systems for public schools. His work has directly shaped operational mechanisms in New York City and Boston affecting over one million students, with methodologies integrating game theory and econometrics. Recent work bridges regression discontinuity design with market design principles to analyze policy impacts.

His scholarship spans education economics, public policy design, and inequality measurement through affiliations with networks focused on policy interpretation. Contributions emphasize real-world implementation of theoretical economic models to address systemic educational challenges.