Claudia Persico

Claudia Persico is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy within the School of Public Affairs at American University. She holds multiple prestigious research affiliations, including as a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an IZA Institute of Labor Economics Research Fellow, and a Research Affiliate with the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. She is also affiliated with the Center for Environmental Policy at American University.

Dr. Persico earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Biology from Boston University. Prior to her current position, she served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her research focuses on the intersection of environmental policy and education policy, with particular emphasis on how early exposure to environmental pollution affects child and adult health, development, behavior, and academic achievement. She employs causal inference methods to examine how poverty, the environment, and children's cognitive development and health are interconnected. Her work also investigates school funding impacts on long-term outcomes, school segregation effects on racial disparities in special education, and how childhood pollution exposure affects academic performance. Dr. Persico's research has been featured in top journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Labor Economics, and the Journal of Human Resources, and has been covered by major media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and the Atlantic.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on air pollution's effects on educational outcomes, the relationship between pollution and health outcomes including suicide, and the economic implications of environmental policies. The research consistently demonstrates how environmental factors create and perpetuate inequality through their impact on child development and educational achievement.

• Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
• IZA Institute of Labor Economics Research Fellow
• Research Affiliate with the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Research Affiliate with the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University
• Affiliated with the Center for Environmental Policy at American University

Dr. Persico actively advises on policy matters and has been interviewed by major media outlets regarding her research findings. Her work has significant implications for environmental regulation, education policy, and public health initiatives. She teaches courses including PUAD-685 Topics in Policy Analysis/Management: Education/American Policy System and PUAD-604 Public Program Evaluation at American University.