Amanda Pallais

Amanda Pallais is the Robert C. Waggoner Professor of Economics at Harvard University's Department of Economics. She previously held the role of Paul Sack Associate Professor of Political Economy and Social Studies. Her research focuses on labor market inefficiencies and barriers to equitable education access, particularly for low-income populations. Pallais holds a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Virginia (2006) and a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT (2011).

Her research explores how labor market dynamics, such as reputation costs and manager bias, hinder equitable employment outcomes. She has also studied how small policy changes, like college application fees, disproportionately affect low socio-economic status (SES) students’ educational choices. Her work further examines the impact of financial aid on college persistence and completion rates among disadvantaged groups.

Pallais’s recent publications (2024–2015) highlight trends in labor economics, education policy, and gender dynamics. Key themes include remote work’s gendered impacts, training efficacy, merit aid effects, and experimental analyses of policy interventions. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with real-world experiments to address systemic inequalities.

No scientific awards or grants are explicitly noted in the provided texts. While no formal advising records are listed, her research themes imply significant contributions to mentoring students in labor economics and education policy. She is affiliated with Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and maintains an active research agenda in social stratification and economic inequality.