David S. Loughran

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Associate Director, RAND Labor and Population; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School; Senior Economist
Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in economics, University of Maryland; B.A. in economics and political science, Swarthmore College

Overview

Biography

David S. Loughran is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation and associate director of RAND Labor and Population. He is also a professor of economics at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research focuses on applied topics in labor economics, demography, and insurance. In research on the family, Loughran has investigated how female age at first marriage responds to increases in male wage inequality, how marital and birth timing impacts career development, and how birth weight and parental investment interact in the production of child welfare. His retirement-related research includes work on the Social Security earnings test and the role of non-pecuniary job characteristics in determining labor supply among the elderly. His current research includes an analysis of the causal effect of military service on labor supply and educational outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged youth, a suite of studies addressing the effect of deployments and combat injury on the labor market outcomes of U.S. servicemembers, and quantification of the exposure of casualty insurers to the risk of liability catastrophe. Loughran received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • Military deployment and earnings
  • Enlistment and long-term economic well-being
  • Marriage, childbearing, and earnings
  • Social Security Retirement Earnings Test
  • Older drivers

Selected Publications

Ashlesha Datar, M. Rebecca Kilburn, and David S. Loughran, "Endowments and Parental Investments in Early Childhood," Demography, 47(1), 2010

David S. Loughran and Julie M. Zissimopoulos, "Why Wait? The Effect of Marriage and Childbearing on the Wages of Men and Women," Journal of Human Resources, 44(2), 2009

David S. Loughran and Seth Seabury, Estimating the Accident Risk of Older Drivers, RAND Corporation (TR-450), 2008

Steven J. Haider and David S. Loughran, "The Effect of the Social Security Earnings Test on Male Labor Supply: New Evidence from Survey and Administrative Data," Journal of Human Resources, 43(1), 2008

David S. Loughran, Ashlesha Datar, and Rebecca M. Kilburn, "The Response of Household Parental Investment to Child Endowments," Review of Economics of the Household, 6(3), 2008

David S. Loughran and Jacob A. Klerman, Activation and the Earnings of Reservists, RAND Corporation (MG-474), 2006

David S. Loughran, "Deterring Fraud: The Role of General Damage Awards in Auto Insurance Settlements," Journal of Risk and Insurance, 72(4), 2005

David S. Loughran and Jonathan Kulick, "Demand-Side Management and Energy Efficiency in the United States," Energy Journal, 25(1), 2004

Honors & Awards

  • President's Award, RAND Corporation

Commentary

A Risk to Themselves — Oct 20, 2010

  • The New York Times

Publications

The Effect of Military Enlistment on Earnings and Education - 2011

The Effect of the Assessment of Recruit Motivation and Strength (ARMS) Program on Army Accessions and Attrition - 2011

Endowments and Parental Investments in Infancy and Early Childhood - 2010

Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth: Obstacles and Opportunities - 2009

Explaining the Increase in Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers During the Global War on Terror - 2008

How Do Earnings Change When Reservists Are Activated? A Reconciliation of Estimates Derived from Survey and Administrative Data - 2008

Occupational Safety and Health for Public Safety Employees: Assessing the Evidence and the Implications for Public Policy - 2008

Recent Trends in Veteran Unemployment as Measured in the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey - 2008

The Effect of the Social Security Earnings Test on Male Labor Supply: New Evidence from Survey and Administrative Data - 2008

The Response of Household Parental Investment to Child Endowments - 2008

Why Wait? : The Effect of Marriage and Childbearing on the Wages of Men and Women - 2008

Do Elderly Men Respond to Taxes on Earnings? Evidence from the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test - 2007

Estimating the Accident Risk of Older Drivers - 2007

Regulating Older Drivers: Are New Policies Needed? - 2007

What Risks Do Older Drivers Pose to Traffic Safety? - 2007

Why Wait? The Effect of Marriage and Childbearing on the Wages of Men and Women - 2007

Activation and the Earnings of Reservists - 2006

Effect of Activation on Reservist Earnings - 2006

Health Endowments and Parental Investments in Infancy and Early Childhood - 2006

Reserve Retirement Reform: A Viewpoint on Recent Congressional Proposals - 2006

The Effect of Reserve Activations and Active-Duty Deployments on Local Employment During the Global War on Terrorism - 2006

Early Results on Activations and the Earnings of Reservists - 2005

Reserve Recruiting and the College Market: Is a New Educational Benefit Needed? - 2005

What Factors Affect the Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth? A Look at Enlistment Qualifications - 2005

Are There Gains to Delaying Marriage? The Effect of Age at First Marriage on Career Development and Wages - 2004

Demand-side Management and Energy Efficiency in the United States - 2004

Reserve Recruiting in the College Market: New Educational Benefits Could Attract High-Aptitude Recruits - 2004

The Interactive Effect of Birth Weight and Parental Investment on Child Test Scores - 2004

State-Level Changes in Energy Intensity and Their National Implications - 2003

Deterring Fraud: The Role of General Damage Awards in Automobile Insurance Settlements - 2002

The Effect of Male Wage Inequality on Female Age at First Marriage - 2002

Wage Growth in the Civilian Careers of Military Retirees - 2002

Elderly Labor Supply: Work or Play? - 2001

No-Fault Automobile Insurance Unrelated To Accident Rates: New Research Controls for Bias that Tainted Previous Studies - 2001

The Effect of No-Fault Automobile Insurance on Driver Behavior and Automobile Accidents in the United States - 2001

The Effects of No-Fault Auto Insurance on Driver Behavior and Auto Accidents in the United States - 2001

Does Variance Matter? : The Effect of Rising Male Wage Inequality on Female Age at First Marriage - 2000

The Public Benefit of California's Investments in Energy Efficiency - 2000