Stephen D. O'Connell

Stephen D. O'Connell is an Associate Professor of Economics at Emory University and an invited researcher at JPAL/IPA's Displaced Livelihoods Initiative. He holds affiliations with the Households in Conflict Network (HiCN) and the IZA Institute of Labor Economics. His research focuses on labor markets, development economics, and social policy design, particularly on topics like forced displacement, gender disparities, and policy effectiveness. He teaches courses in econometrics, labor economics, and development economics while actively advising graduate students.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT Department of Economics (2016-2018)
• PhD in Economics, City University of New York (2016)
• MPhil in Economics, City University of New York (2013)
• BA in Economics, Boston College (2007)

His research explores how policies impact economic participation, particularly for marginalized groups. Notable projects include evaluating poverty-targeted programs, analyzing gender differences in political career progression, and studying the effects of unconditional cash transfers on refugees. Recent work emphasizes geographic targeting in social protection and employer-informed job training programs.

Awards & Recognition: None explicitly mentioned in provided text.

Grants & Advising: O'Connell frequently collaborates with students on research projects, as noted in his student advisement page. His work has been supported by institutions like the World Bank and JPAL, though specific grant details are not provided here.

Labs & Teams: Engaged with interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Becker-Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago (visiting scholar 2025) and the HiCN, focusing on conflict-affected households.