Christine Mulhern

Economist; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in public policy, Harvard University; B.A. in mathematical methods in the social sciences, Northwestern University

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Christine Mulhern is an economist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She focuses on the economics of education and labor economics. Her research studies how students and workers navigate education and career pathways, including whether and where to enroll in postsecondary education and how social networks, school resources, and technology influence these choices. She has studied the effects of high school counselors on educational attainment, siblings' influence on college choices, dual enrollment programs, educational technologies, teachers, and inequality in education. She is also working on research related to children's health. Her research has been published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Labor Economics, and Journal of Public Economics, featured in media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, and funded by NIH, IES, and several foundations. Mulhern received her Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Christine Mulhern, "Changing College Choices with Personalized Admissions Information at Scale: Evidence on Naviance," Journal of Labor Economics, 39(1), 2021

Andrew Bacher-Hicks, Joshua Goodman, and Christine Mulhern, "Inequality in HouseholdvAdaptation to Schooling Shocks: Covid-Induced Online Learning Engagement in Real Time," Journal of Public Economics, 193, 2021

Adam Altmejd, Andres Barrios-Fernandez, Marin Drlje, Joshua Goodman, Michael Hurwitz, Dejan Kovac, Christine Mulhern, Christopher Neilson and Jonathan Smith, "O Brother, Where Start Thou? Sibling Spillovers in College and Major Choice in Four Countries," Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2021 (forthcoming)

Publications

Research Brief
Exploring Ohio's Pipeline of Manufacturing Workers: Summary of Key Findings
This research brief describes findings from an examination of the pipeline between Ohio’s postsecondary education system and the manufacturing workforce, highlighting ways to bolster the supply of manufacturing workers and diversity in the industry.
Sep 14, 2023
Report
Strengthening the Manufacturing Workforce in Ohio
The authors of this report examine the pipeline between Ohio’s postsecondary education system and the manufacturing workforce, focusing on ways to bolster the supply of workers and the diversity of the workforce.
Sep 14, 2023
Commentary
Finding Help Outside the Classroom: Approaches for Supporting College Students' Basic Needs
This Perspective builds on the research findings from a related RAND Corporation report on a North Carolina initiative to support college students' basic needs with strategies to improve the uptake and effectiveness of such initiatives nationally.
May 23, 2023
Report
Report on the Implementation, Costs, and Impacts of the Findhelp Platform in the North Carolina Community College System
The authors examine how the Findhelp online "social care network," which connects students to services that provide basic needs assistance, was implemented at four community colleges in North Carolina, its costs, and its impacts on student success.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Changes in College and Career Readiness Supports During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Comparing nationally representative response data from the 2020 and 2021 Learn Together Surveys, the authors examine how high school teachers and principals provided supports to students for postsecondary transitions before and during the pandemic.
Jan 12, 2022
Report
How Are Teachers Educating Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic?
In this Data Note, researchers present findings on teaching students with disabilities during a pandemic by drawing on surveys administered via the RAND American Teacher Panel to a nationally representative sample of teachers in fall 2020.
Apr 8, 2021
Commentary
Trends in Postsecondary Education
Education levels have been rising for the past 50 years, but declining public support for higher education, rising costs of college attendance, and low college completion rates threaten young adults' pathway to a two- or four-year college degree.
Mar 25, 2021
Journal Article
Changing College Choices with Personalized Admissions Information at Scale: Evidence on Naviance
This paper shows how the technology Naviance, which provides low-cost personalized college admissions information to more than 40% of high schoolers, influences college choices.
Feb 3, 2021
Journal Article
Inequality in Household Adaptation to Schooling Shocks: Covid-induced Online Learning Engagement in Real Time
Using internet searches, we study real-time demand for online learning resources. Internet searches for online learning resources doubled during the pandemic. Increases were larger in are as with higher income and better internet access. The pandemic will likely widen achievement gaps along these dimensions.
Feb 3, 2021