معرفی
Erdal Tekin serves as the Fotis Family Distinguished Professor of Health Policy at American University's School of Public Affairs. He holds dual research affiliations as a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, he leads one of the field's premier publications. His academic appointments include teaching doctoral dissertations (PUAD-899) for Spring and Fall 2025 semesters.
His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2001), an M.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Denver (1996), and a B.S. in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (1994). This interdisciplinary foundation informs his cross-cutting research approach.
Tekin's research program centers on health economics and the economics of risky behaviors and crime, with significant contributions to understanding determinants of substance abuse, obesity, delinquency, and crime. His secondary focus examines child care market dynamics and welfare program impacts. Methodologically, he employs quasi-experimental designs and large-scale administrative data analysis to evaluate policy interventions. His work consistently bridges economic theory with practical policy applications, particularly regarding prenatal/postnatal conditions affecting long-term health and human capital outcomes.
His publication portfolio shows strong emphasis on public health interventions (vaccination policies, infant mortality reduction), crime prevention (firearm regulations, veteran reintegration), and child development (child care subsidies, trauma impacts). Recent work increasingly incorporates interdisciplinary methods from epidemiology and criminology, with notable studies on mass shootings' community effects and vaccination policy scaling.
Tekin directs the Annual Workshop on the Economics of Risky Behavior, now in its 14th iteration, which has convened internationally in locations including Madrid, Croatia, London, and Hawaii. This initiative has established a global research community focused on behavioral economics of health risks.
Research funding comes from major institutions including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Danish Council for Independent Research. His collaborative approach is evident through frequent co-authorship with international researchers across economics, public health, and criminology disciplines.
