Interview with Bennett Research Prize Winner Marina Halac

16 Pages·2017·0.33 MB·English

C S W E P
news
Published three times annually by
the American Economic Association’s
Committee on the Status of Women
2017 ISSUE III
in the Economics Profession.
IN THIS ISSUE
Interview with Bennett
FOCUS
Research Prize Winner
Working with a Research Group
and Co-authors Marina Halac
Introduction
by Ragan Petrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Mentoring Student Teams
by Anya Samek . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..3
Glenn Hubbard
Norms and Communication in
Collaboration by Julian Jamison . ..5
You’ve credited a former teacher of yours,
Nuria Susmel, with encouraging you to
The Keys to Effective Collaboration
by A. Abigail Payne . .. . .. . .. . ..7 enter the field of economics. What advice
did she offer you as you were seeking your
From the CSWEP Chair path?
Nuria was my math teacher at Carlos How was your experience at CEMA?
Chair’s Letter
Pellegrini, the high school I attended
It was really good. I had excellent pro-
by Shelly Lundberg .. . .. . .. . .. . . 2
back in Buenos Aires. When I was in my
fessors and the class size was very small,
last year of high school, I had to choose
so we received a lot of individual atten-
Milestones, Honors,
my major for college, and I wasn’t sure
tion. Also, studying at CEMA allowed
and Remembrance
what I wanted to do. I had really enjoyed
me to learn about the academic world
my philosophy classes in high school,
in the US, since most of my professors
Interview with Bennett Research
so I was considering studying philoso-
Prize Winner Marina Halac had done their PhD studies here. My
phy in college. However, while philoso-
by Glenn Hubbard . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 parents and siblings work in entertain-
phy was sort of a romantic aspiration I
ment, so both economics and academia
Brag Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 had, it wasn’t so practical: finding a job are worlds that I had to discover by my-
in the field and making a living out of
self. It was very useful to learn about my
Remembering Sharon Levin . . . 11 it would be challenging in Argentina.
professors’ experiences.
Nuria advised me to study econom-
Another reason why CEMA was so
Calls & Announcements ics. Her argument was simple: I seemed
great is that I met Guillermo, my hus-
to like math and economics as much
band, while studying there. We were
2018 WEA Sessions Call . . . . . . . 12
as philosophy, but economics would
in the same class and study group. We
2018 ASSA Sessions Announced .12 be a safe choice. At that time, the best
have been together for 18 years now!
2018 EEA Sessions Announced . .14 schools to study economics in Buenos
In 2002 you moved from Argentina to the
Aires were private, and I think Nuria
Upcoming Regional Meetings . . .16
United States to join the World Bank as a
was aware that I could not afford them.
Call for CSWEP Liaisons . . . . . . . 16 research consultant. What was that move
But she told me about a private school,
like for you?
Universidad del CEMA, that had just
started a licentiate program (having spe- Interestingly, that was a move that
cialized in graduate studies up to then) was triggered by the circumstances in
where I could apply for a scholarship, Argentina more than my own choices.
and where I ultimately got my degree Argentina had a major economic crisis
in economics.
continues on page 9
For Free Digital Subscriptions, email [email protected] Forward the CSWEP News to colleagues and graduate students.
Contributors
From the Chair
Shelly Lundberg
Shelly Lundberg,
Leonard Broom
Professor of
Demography,
Department of I’d like to begin by congratulating Ra- Manuela Angelucci and Petra Todd),
Economics, University
of California, Santa chel Croson, who is the recipient of the and Economics of Gender (organized
Barbara 2017 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award for her by Claudia Olivetti and Ragan Petrie).
contributions to the status of women Placement in these sessions continues
in economics. Rachel is Dean of the to be highly competitive, with 137 pa-
College of Social Science and MSU pers submitted and only 28 selected. Of
R. Glenn Hubbard,
Dean, Columbia Foundation Professor of Economics at these, nine will be chosen for inclusion
Business School and Michigan State University. She is an in the 2018 Papers and Proceedings issue
Russell L. Carson
accomplished scholar who has been a of the American Economic Review.
Professor of Finance
and Professor of leader in the development of mentor- Helping young economists acquire
Economics, Columbia ing programs for women in economics the skills they need to succeed has al-
University
(including CSWEP’s) throughout her ways been an important goal of CSWEP
Julian Jamison, Senior career. This award will be presented at activities, and we will be sponsoring sev-
Behavioral Economist,
the CSWEP Business Meeting during eral mentoring events at the AEA Meet-
Poverty and Equity
Global Practice, The the 2018 AEA Meeting in Philadelphia, ing. Mentoring Breakfasts for Junior
World Bank
PA. This event is scheduled for 3:00– Economists, organized by Amalia Mill-
4:30 PM on Saturday, January 6 2018 at er, are scheduled for Friday, January 5
the Philadelphia Marriott, and the cele- and Sunday, January 7 from 8:00 AM–
bration will continue at a reception that 10:00 AM . Senior economists will be
evening from 6:00–7:30 PM. On behalf available to answer questions and pro-
of the CSWEP Board I invite you join us vide advice at topic-themed tables. Feed-
A. Abigail Payne,
Director and Ronald to celebrate the contributions of Rachel back from previous participants in these
Henderson Professor, and previous Bell Award winners to the breakfasts has been overwhelming-
Melbourne Institute:
progress of women in economics. ly positive. We encourage economists
Applied Economic
& Social Research, The 2018 AEA/ASSA Meeting in within six years of their PhD as well as
University of Melbourne
Philadelphia is fast approaching, and graduate students on the job market to
Ragan Petrie, Associate CSWEP will be there with a full pro- preregister for these events (details in
Professor of Economics, gram of events that include paper ses- this issue and at cswep.org) and partic-
Texas A & M University
sions, mentoring programs, and pre- ipate. We will also be offering a Men-
sentation of the 2017 Annual Report toring Breakfast for Mid-Career Econo-
on the Status of Women in the Econom- mists, scheduled for Saturday, January
ics Profession at the Business Meeting. 6 from 8:00 AM–10:00 AM and orga-
We are excited about a new event we nized by Ragan Petrie. At the end of the
Anya Samek, Associate are offering this year: Best Practices for AEA Meeting, the 2018 CeMENT Men-
Professor (Research) Mentoring Underrepresented Minority toring Workshop for Faculty in Doctoral
of Economics, Center
Women Economists on Sunday, January Programs will begin under the leader-
for Economic and
Social Research (CESR) 7 at 12:00–2:00 PM . A panel of experts ship of Director Martha Bailey. This in-
and Department of from inside and outside economics will tensive and effective mentoring experi-
Economics, University
discuss the unique challenges facing ence is consistently oversubscribed and
of Southern California
minority women in academe and how relies on the generous donation of time
departments and colleagues can help from senior mentors.
address them. Register in advance for The Focus section of this issue of
this event, organized and moderated by CSWEP News, edited and introduced
CSWEP News Staff Marie Mora. Full details are available in by Ragan Petrie, offers advice for engag-
this issue and at www .cswep .org. ing in collaborative research. Working
Shelly Lundberg, Editor CSWEP is presenting paper sessions with diverse partners, maintaining good
Kate Silz-Carson, Oversight Editor at the AEA Meeting in three research ar- communication, norms of co-author-
Ragan Petrie, Co-Editor eas: Aging and Retirement (organized ship, leading student teams—a wealth
Amber Pipa, Assistant Editor by Gopi Shah Goda and Olivia Mitchell), of wisdom and experience is shared by
Leda Black, Graphic Designer Development Economics (organized by the authors of these articles. This issue
continues on page 10
2 CSWEP NEWS
FOCUS on Working with a
Research Group and Co-authors
Ragan Petrie
At some point in an economist’s career, it may be necessary field experiments and discusses working with and mentor-
to collaborate with co-authors and research teams. Working ing student teams. She offers sage advice for how to structure
with others can have large upside benefits. It can make siz- a research team, motivate and mentor students and acquire
able data collection efforts possible, increase the number of funding to pay for them. Julian Jamison, Senior Behavior-
research projects completed and in the pipeline, and improve al Economist in Poverty and Equity Global Practice for the
the research quality of a project. Also, with collaborators, the World Bank, has worked with a variety of project partners in-
research process is less lonely, professional networks can cluding academics, research teams in nonprofits, businesses,
deepen, and long-term partnerships may develop. Nonethe- and government agencies. All these partnerships present dif-
less, managing these collaborations so that they are efficient ferent challenges and approaches for success. He offers valu-
and productive can be challenging. Collaborations have the able insights, advice, and guidance on navigating this process.
potential to increase the success of a project and they can Finally, A. Abigail Payne, the Director and Ronald Hender-
also be difficult experiences due to poor communication, mis- son Professor at the Melbourne Institute at the University of
aligned incentives and staffing issues. Melbourne, has worked with a variety of co-authors and has
The articles in this Focus section address the question of built productive and successful collaborations. She offers im-
how to best work with co-authors and in teams from a va- portant perspectives on junior-senior collaborations, how to
riety of perspectives. Anya Samek, Research Associate Pro- manage working with co-authors, the value of communica-
fessor of Economics at the Center for Economic and Social tion, and how to move partnerships to successful outcomes.
Research (CESR) and Department of Economics, Universi-
ty of Southern California, conducts and manages large-scale
Mentoring Student Teams
Anya Samek
My area of research involves conducting programs and improve the gender im- the data, and provide feedback on
laboratory and field experiments, which balance in the profession. pilots of the experiment in terms of
are time intensive and involve a lot of la- There are also some costs to work- what worked/what did not work.
bor input. I learned early that I can’t be ing with undergraduates. Training the
• For researchers conducting laboratory
in many places at once, and so I often students takes time, as does writing
experiments: Students can be trained
need to rely on student help to carry out recommendation letters after they have
to assist in the consent/check-in pro-
experiments. Due to the nature of field worked with you. In this article, I pro-
cess, passing out instructions, and
work, most of my student workers are vide some guidelines for how to make
paying experimental earnings at the
undergraduates. this process as easy as possible. I’ll also
end. Although I know that many re-
Employing a team of undergraduate provide tips on university programs that
searchers conduct the entire experi-
students also gives me the opportunity can provide financial assistance to pay
ment themselves, I find that having
to mentor them and expose them to re- students.
a second person assist makes the
search methods in economics. I think
What can I ask undergraduate process run much more smoothly.
this exercise is of particular importance
students to do? • For researchers not generating their
for undergraduate women, since engag-
own data: Students can be trained
ing undergraduate women in research • For researchers conducting field experi-
to read (sometimes also to find) ar-
could be one way to increase the pipe- ments: Students can be trained to im-
ticles and extract key information
line of women into economics graduate plement the study, enter and check
2017 ISSUE III 3
Mentoring Student Teams

(e.g., data source used, effect size • Creating an effective team culture: graduate students, who may avoid
found) and to use various computer Frequent feedback, giving students their advisor instead of simply ask-
packages (e.g., EndNote to help orga- tasks that they can work on togeth- ing for help. I also tell students that
nize reference lists, ArcGIS to make er, and making sure that all students they need to be self-motivated. This
maps). Students can also help proof- have the opportunity to participate includes scheduling a meeting with
read papers for grammar, especial- in discussions all act to increase stu- me when they are ready to take on
ly if English is their first language dent motivation to do good work. more work. When things are not
and it is not the first language of the working, students should be proac-
I am ready to work with some
researcher. Students can also check tive in suggesting improvements. I
students: Now what?
in-text calculations against tables or tell students that the benefits they
figures, and confirm the accuracy of • Select motivated students: The stu- get from working in our group are
publication proofs. More advanced dents who contact you after your proportional to the work that they
students can replicate data analyses class are usually the most motivat- put in. This gives students auton-
that have already been conducted to ed. I strongly advocate selecting stu- omy over their experience in the
check the accuracy of the output. dents after you have taught them group, which is good for morale and
How can I make undergraduate in a class, since you already know productivity. Finally, I make sure stu-
them well. I have also had success dents know they can communicate
students active participants in the
with asking undergraduate advisors to me when they’ve made a mistake,
research process?
to e-mail student lists. Once I have so that we can learn from it and cor-
• Students as key players in the re- some good students, they often rec- rect it (rather than, for example, pro-
search process: I explain the integral ommend friends. I have had limited ceeding with problematic data). Ex-
parts of all stages of a field experi- success with posting job ads on the pectations also need to be coupled
ment—from the recruitment of par- university job board. with clear feedback. I try to provide
feedback to students on a regular
ticipants, data collection, data entry, • Set expectations: It is easy to assume
basis.
to the analysis and writing, and we that students are aware of what is ex-
discuss the role these play in the re- pected of them, but even the bright- • Help students reflect on their achieve-
search. I help students take owner- est students rarely have much of an ments: I have created a document to
ship of what they have done (e.g., idea of what research entails. I cre- give to students after they are done
having students type their name at ated a document that provides guid- working with my group. In this doc-
the end of each row of data they have ance on what I expect from students, ument, I ask students to list the start
entered). I also hold frequent meet- and what they should expect in re- and end dates of their position, tasks
ings during the beginning stages of turn. We go over this document at they have worked on, any times they
a project so that students can give the beginning of each semester. A thought they excelled at a challenge,
feedback about what went well or did similar idea that I have seen is a “re- and what they felt they got out of
not go well, which helps refine pro- search contract” that both parties the time working with me. Did it
cedures. To avoid experimenter bias sign. The document includes infor- prepare them for jobs after college?
I typically do not tell students about mation about who (and when) to ask Prepare them for graduate school?
the motivation for each experiment for help, expectations about being This document serves two purposes:
while it is ongoing. We discuss the on time and being accountable for First, students reflect on their time
main hypotheses only after projects work, communication expectations working with me. This may help
are completed. (i.e., regularly communicating with them write future graduate school
• Guided readings: I also encourage me and the team), and guidelines on applications or complete their CV or
students to read research articles, how to perform lab tasks such as en- resume. Second, students send me
think about how those projects must tering data, reviewing literature, and this document if they need me to
have been conducted, and come up working in the field. write a recommendation letter. This
has been a huge time saver, since I
with ideas for extensions or improve- • Encourage asking for help: Many of my
can use what students write about
ment. I assign a research article for students seem to have trouble ask-
themselves as a guide for writing
group discussion every 1–2 weeks. ing for help when they are stuck, so
the letter.
This is usually an article that I am I always make clear that they need
refereeing or that I have just com- to come to me with questions and How do I pay my students?
pleted myself. In this way, student check in on them regularly. A sim-
comments can also be helpful to me. ilar problem seems to exist among • Your university could pay your stu-
dents: Universities are interested in
4 CSWEP NEWS
Mentoring Student Teams

Norms and Communication
providing students with research ex-
perience relevant to their major. For in Collaboration
example, the University of Southern
California offers the Student Un-
dergraduate Research Fellowship Julian Jamison
and Student Opportunities for Ac-
I’ve been a part of many research teams equal amounts of work throughout the
ademic Research programs. Under
with varying backgrounds and goals. I stages of a project, but it does imply that
these programs, students receive a
have had 65-70 coauthors, ranging from doing any one element (e.g. research de-
stipend to work for a faculty mem-
good friends with whom I have worked sign, data collection, data analysis, or
ber. To qualify, the student writes a
closely on multiple projects over the writing) is not enough. Even if her part
one page proposal and the faculty
years, to family members (yes: plural), is done, an alphabetical coauthor should
member provides a short letter. At
to people I have never met and whose be willing to help two years later when
the University of Wisconsin-Mad-
names I barely recognize. I’ve worked the referee reports come back and a big
ison, the Undergraduate Research
with public and private sector partners revision is undertaken.
Scholars program selects top enter-
(and funders) of various types, includ-
ing undergraduate students for a Across Disciplines
ing more than ten governments around
similar scholarship, and students are
Many other scientific disciplines have
the world. I also worked in government
matched with willing faculty. These
different norms about author order and
for six years. I have published in eco-
programs have a GPA requirement
author inclusion. Often, there is a “first
nomics journals as well as journals in
but are not need-based.
author” who leads the project and does
medicine, linguistics, philosophy, and
• The government could pay your stu- the majority of the work, with second-
information technology. This breadth
dents: The Federal Work-Study pro- ary authors in some order in the middle,
of experiences has certainly been a lot
gram in the U.S. sets aside money and perhaps a last senior author (or two)
of fun, and has taught me a lot about the
for students with financial need that who gives guidance and/or procures
importance of norms and communica-
can be used to pay students hired in funding but doesn’t do much work on
tion for effective collaboration. Here are
hourly positions. Around 3,400 in- each particular paper. The advantage of
a few thoughts from the trenches, start-
stitutions participate. Work-study this system is that it allows for more in-
ing with the more familiar (to econo-
covers about 70% of the hourly rate formation about each person’s role in
mists, at least) and ending with the
you offer to the student, and you find the research to be conveyed in the au-
more exotic.
grant or research funds to cover the thor listing; for partial contributors to
Within Economics
rest. be acknowledged; and for helpful in-
In economics, my sense of the norm centives regarding who keeps the proj-
• Some students will work for free: Mo-
is that authors are listed alphabetically, ect moving along. The disadvantage is
tivated students are aware that they
unless there is a particular reason not that sometimes it’s easier to just work
need job experience and faculty rec-
to. Research assistants are not gener- together as a team without thinking
ommendation letters for the next
ally included as coauthors. One way to about priorities or who’s in charge or
stage of their careers. As such, many
determine whether a particular individ- who’s supposed to do what, with every-
students will be willing to work for
ual’s contribution merits co-authorship one willing to shoulder the load if the
free. This can work out well, but
is to apply this rule: If someone is get- time is right.
there are a few caveats. (1) If you
ting paid specifically to do a task, then It can be terrific to work with people
have a team, either everyone should
their contribution is less likely to war- in other fields, and sometimes (not al-
work for free or no one should work
rant co-authorship credit. However, if ways) the research is much better that
for free, since if students learn that
an individual is paid the same whether way. In order for the collaborative pro-
they are unpaid while others are
or not they do a given task, co-author- cess to work well, I recommend talking
paid, they will be demotivated; (2) It
ship credit is more likely to be warrant- quite early on about how to work togeth-
takes a very motivated student to be
ed. Of course, one can always invite RAs er, including what journals to submit
productive under such an arrange-
to be coauthors if they are willing and to, even if the conversation is a bit awk-
ment so closer mentoring/monitor-
able to contribute to the rest of the re- ward. It is important to have these con-
ing than usual may be necessary.
search process. versations early in the process as they
When collaborating with other econ- will only get more difficult the longer
omists, any and all coauthors are ex- you wait. You may have to explain the
pected to contribute significantly. This economics norm to your collaborators,
doesn’t imply that everyone does exactly and they will find it weird and foreign
2017 ISSUE III 5
Norms and Communication

and probably try to explain to you why a rigorous evaluation. You can also as- to encourage consumers to think more
it’s ridiculous. There is no right answer suage their concerns by making it clear about the future.
to the problem of how to delineate cred- that evaluations are of the program it- It’s also worth trying to find individ-
it among collaborators. You can use dif- self, not of the organization or its staff. uals within a company who are excited
fering norms matching the field of the What about co-authorship? For the about research or about helping clients
journal you send to, or you can make most part, how and to whom to award directly, and thinking about how to give
a compromise decision up front. It is credit will be fairly clear. Some staff are them leverage within the organization.
important to be aware that someone is researchers and co-PIs just like any oth- Ask yourself if you have at least some
likely to be left holding the short straw, er coauthor. Other staff will not be inter- buy-in from managers, from front-line
in part because no one individual can ested in academic publications. A few staff, and from the data team. If possi-
control or alter what standards their may fall in the middle, and one way to ble, ask early on for a sample of their
peers will use to judge a final publica- approach such decisions is a similar cri- existing data so that you can test their
tion. Communicate early, accept that the terion to that for RAs: are they willing to internal systems. Finally, be patient and
solution may not be perfect, and don’t keep working on the paper even when prepared for shifting timeframes: three
let that stop you from pursuing interest- they are not contractually paid to do so? month delays can abruptly morph into
ing and novel opportunities! I have occasionally phrased it just this expectations for overnight results.
way, not as an ultimatum but more as a
NGOs and Think Tanks Governments
spark to get the conversation started and
When working with non-academics, it Working with governments is similar to
to convey academic norms. Of course, a
is important to be aware of the differ- working with other partners, although
little generosity never hurts – but be re-
ent incentives faced by academics and they tend to move more slowly and can
spectful of your future self’s time!
non-academics. Regardless of disci- be harder to infiltrate. The advantage is
For-Profit Firms
pline, academics generally have a sim- the opportunity to work at scale. Having
ilar goal with respect to research out- There is a fair amount of overlap be- connections within a governmental or-
put: publish in a peer-reviewed journal. tween partnering with nonprofits and ganization is especially important. How-
Outside academia there are many other with for-profit firms. Establish an agree- ever, personnel change over time, so try
incentives. For instance, non-academ- ment allowing you to publish results not to be too dependent on one coun-
ics may be more concerned with influ- without conditions (other than that they terpart. Remember that, as elsewhere,
encing policy or with serving a partic- may need to check the manuscript to governments are made up of individu-
ular sub-population, rather than with be sure no proprietary or confidential als with their own interests and incen-
knowledge generation for the greater information is included, and they may tives (including advancement), and try
good. Nonprofits are also typically more not want the company name used). It’s to use this to your advantage. For ex-
tightly beholden to donors. Usually this also appropriate to give any partner the ample, one issue that often comes up
only means that the product or research chance to read and comment on a draft for field experimentalists is randomiza-
question is aimed more narrowly, but before submitting to a journal, and to tion. Many partners are hesitant to do
sometimes it veers into the territory of take their input seriously. The rules for it in practice, but this is especially true
advocacy (where the conclusions antici- co-authorship are the same as above. for governments. Try different tacks:
pate the research) or simply of making One slightly unique question in this the equity argument given limited re-
the donor happy. It is important to ac- category is how to align incentives. Your sources; phasing-in over time; encour-
knowledge these incentives at the start research partner is likely to be focused agement designs. Show them examples
of any project. on the bottom line, but you are more of where it has worked before without
Ideally, before partnering with a non- likely to be focused on maximizing any problems, or of where their rival
profit, you should have a written agree- learning – preferably of a type that im- has done it. Listen to their concerns,
ment that says you can publish the re- proves outcomes widely (and perhaps is which are sometimes highly specific
sults no matter what they are. It’s fine shared across the industry). In negotiat- to the setting. With sufficient creativity,
to allow them to decide whether they ing these different aims, I find it useful there is almost always a way to achieve
want their name involved at a later date, to search for areas of overlap rather than the research goal while not crossing any
as long as you are free to describe the imagining that the goals will ever be ful- bright lines from the perspective of the
context fully. Remarkably, I have found ly aligned. For example, maybe the for- rest of the team. This last piece of advice
that overconfidence is a wonderful ne- profit partner wants to increase uptake is as good a coda as any for how to ap-
gotiating tool: many NGOs believe their of a new savings product for business proach all research partnerships.
programs are so great that they happi- reasons, and you are interested in how
ly commit in advance to publication of
6 CSWEP NEWS
The Keys to Effective Collaboration
A. Abigail Payne
I have had a fortunate career when it our skills in different ways as well as to Challenges of Collaborative Work
comes to collaboration. I have enjoyed create something different when we ap-
Maintaining an effective and productive
working with researchers and I believe proach a research question with these
collaboration does present some chal-
that the work that was produced was different skills and perspectives.
lenges. For the examples that follow,
better as a result of the collaboration. The second reason for collaboration
communication plays a critical role. In
Mind you, I do have a few bruises and is it serves as a concrete way to expand
general, all projects will go through a
war stories. There are times when I am your professional network. I try to shy
phase where there is a misunderstand-
frustrated with my collaborators, but the away from large crowds. I prefer to de-
ing or there are frictions in approaches
frustration is not one-sided. At times, velop relationships and to build my net-
to the research. These frictions include:
I have been a contributor to that frus- works through one-on-one interactions
writing styles, time devoted to the proj-
tration as well. As in any relationship, or small group settings. Through col-
ect, the framing of the research, and
communication is key to a good collabo- laboration, I have been able to deepen
the structure of the analysis. Through-
ration. The focus of this piece is on col- my networks and to have a reach that
out the collaboration process we have to
laborating with another researcher. I’ll extends well beyond the colleagues in
think about how we communicate with
start by discussing with why you might my department. Especially in academ-
each other. When there is a concern or
want to collaborate, then discuss my ex- ics, we tend not to talk about the impor-
disagreement, how do we resolve it? If
periences with how to effectively man- tance of networks. But networks mat-
you have a passive personality and your
age collaborations and deal with the in- ter—for getting a job, being promoted,
collaborator is aggressive, how will you
evitable problems when they arise. or as part of the refereeing process.
handle situations when there are con-
The third reason relates to time. Al-
Why Collaborate? flicts? Do you remember to praise and
though there may not be economies
be supportive of your collaborators’
I think there are four reasons for col-
of scale in producing papers, sharing
ideas and work?
laboration. First is the opportunity
in the work can result in more papers.
Although it can be hard to do, when
to continue to develop your expertise
Over the last few years, I have been
you are approaching a new collabora-
as an economist. A good collaborator
working with a team of researchers on
tion consider whether you and your
will challenge your thinking and will
a series of projects. These projects relate
potential collaborator should have a
help you to push your boundaries! My
to the use of a core data set that has been
discussion about such things as the ex-
strengths include thinking creatively
underutilized. We have generated many
pected contributions of each collabo-
about data, being doggedly determined
ideas for possible research papers—but
rator, an intended timeline, and other
to get access to data, framing research
each team member only has so many
priorities that will affect how quickly
questions from a policy relevance per-
hours in a day. By working collaborative-
the project is undertaken or finished.
spective, and using careful statistical
ly and dividing our responsibilities, we
When one collaborator experiences a
analysis. My work is often based on a
are able to work on multiple papers at
major life change (e.g. career, family
theoretical or conceptual framework
the same time. This type of strategy can
matter), have a frank discussion about
but I am more interested in testing hy-
work well when one has a point from
how that change will affect progress on
potheses than writing down the theoret-
which to anchor the team such as the
the project.
ical model. Thus, I have quite enjoyed
use of the same data set that may share
working with those who are stronger as Seniority of collaborators
some of the same programs to explore
theorists—the combination of theory
the data and develop the analysis. You are a junior economist—should
and empirical work can be quite pow-
The fourth reason is simply the en- you collaborate with a senior econo-
erful! As I start to get into areas that in-
joyment of working with a colleague. mist? What about a well-known econ-
volve some use of field experiments,
That colleague can nudge you along. omist? I have and I found these col-
I’m collaborating with those who have
You can nudge that colleague along. Al- laborations rewarding on a number
strengths in running experiments. I
though there is a lot of hard work in- of fronts. But I also worked with se-
also have collaborated with researchers
volved in creating a successful collab- nior collaborators who are respectful
who have complementary strengths to
oration, there are also a lot of laughs. of my ideas and my work on the proj-
mine. We all have a set of skills and we
Collaboration can result in deep and ect. A challenge when working with
use those skills somewhat differently. If
lasting friendships. senior or well-known collaborators is
we join forces, we’ll be pushed to use
2017 ISSUE III 7
Keys to Collaboration

ensuring that those reading your work sometimes you persevere when the bet- as the project unfolds. Skype, One Note,
will perceive you as a full-fledged collab- ter option would be to change course or developing timelines, and the use of
orator and not merely a research assis- to abandon a project. Reasons for perse- other tools and shared drives for hold-
tant. One problem is that others might vering may be tied to not wanting to let ing documents and analysis are impor-
think you did not contribute to the pa- the collaborator down, but sometimes tant for promoting active and informed
per. Once, I gave a seminar and I was the better approach would be to have a participation by all team members. Re-
quizzed about a footnote in the paper. frank conversation to decide the next member that these tools are only useful
Because it took me a while to explain steps for the project. if the participants use them.
the footnote I could see that some of Many of my current collaborations
What if the collaborator is not a coauthor
the audience thought I had not been are with researchers who are as busy if
but a data provider, funder or involved in
an equal contributor to the research. To not busier than I am. Given the time it
your project in another way?
avoid this problem, it is incumbent on takes to get a paper published, the risks
I’ve spent my career going after data
you to exert control over how you pres- associated with working with non-stan-
and working with data from non-tradi-
ent yourself and your involvement in a dard data sets, and an increasing set of
tional sources. This involves develop-
project. Be confident, present well, and responsibilities as we become more se-
ing relationships, working through data
make your level of contribution clear to nior, it is very easy to fall into the trap of
sharing agreements, and finding lots of
others. Before entering into a collabora- overcommitting and underdelivering.
funding to support the work to develop
tion with a senior economist, consider When you fall into this trap it is easy
research-ready data sets. Working with
carefully how you will handle that rela- to turn a blind eye and think a miracle
individuals that participate in a project
tionship—can you pay respect but also will happen that will dig you out of the
as a non-co-author can be tricky. This is
contribute to the project? If you think hole you find yourself in. Sometimes
where frank and constant communica-
you will behave like a research assistant you have dug that hole, other times a
tion is important. I have been in situa-
or that the senior economist will not re- delay or action of a collaborator put you
tions where when I first meet a data pro-
spect your ideas, then think carefully in that hole, and even other times an un-
vider, it seems like we get along quite
about whether the collaboration will expected event happens. When you find
well and it also seems like we are on the
benefit you and your career. yourself in a hole and it is just simply
same page about my requests to access
If you are a senior economist—how getting deeper, what do you do? Walk-
the data. Then I receive the data extract,
do you treat your junior collaborators? ing away is one option, but only with
or we start to work through a data shar-
Do you give them space to grow and open communication. Another option
ing agreement, and I realize we were
to make meaningful contributions? might be to think about changing the
not on the same page and there is con-
Just as junior researchers should think project to fit the current circumstances.
fusion about what is needed to under-
about their role, we as senior research- A third option might be to bring on an-
take the project. This is not the point
ers should think about how we interact other collaborator.
when I want to learn that the data pro-
and collaborate with our junior collab-
Leading a team of collaborators
vider’s interpretation is not the same
orators. As a senior economist, I feel a
Although a two-person collaboration as mine. The same can be said about
great deal of responsibility to ensure the
can have challenges (and most certain- finding funding for a project. We often
junior economist knows her opinion is
ly rewards!), when working with a team talk about the big picture importance of
respected and that I view our work as
of three or more individuals, seemingly a project to obtain funding, but if the
a true collaboration. I think senior/ju-
minor issues can become major issues. funder is expecting something different
nior collaborations are a great opportu-
When I think of working with a team, I and this has not been articulated, you
nity to nurture growth and to provide
think of the game we played as children can find yourself with money for a proj-
meaningful mentorship.
where child #1 tells child #2 something ect you do not want to undertake.
When to walk away
which gets repeated to child #3 and so Today, ensuring that everyone is on
There have been times when I have on. By the time we get to child #n, often the same page is as important as ever,
made the painful choice to step aside there is no similarity between the origi- especially when it comes to data given
from a project. Sometimes it is because nal statement and the nth iteration of it. the heightened concerns about issues
the collaboration had issues that could When working with a team of collabora- of privacy, security, and access. My rec-
not be resolved. Sometimes it was be- tors, individuals can misinterpret what ommendation is to start frank discus-
cause the research was not as promis- was said and end up feeling like they sions early on and create memoranda
ing as we thought it would be at the be- were kept in the dark. Both the leader and other documents that lay out the in-
ginning. When you are a solo author, and the participants of a team should tention and understanding of all sides.
it is easy to walk away from a project. create a plan for regular communica- By working through these documents
But when a collaborator is involved, tion and for the sharing of information you can usually save time down the road
8 CSWEP NEWS
Keys to Collaboration

and ensure your project stays on track. me finish with my thoughts about cre- collaborations is to encourage you to be
Even when you are in agreement, it is ating opportunities for collaboration. open to the opportunity and find ways
good to maintain and ensure there are Finding a collaborator is often not stra- to interact with others. Get out of your
regular meetings and opportunities for tegic—it happens from a casual con- office and talk to others. Find the time
discussing the project. versation. Maybe it is over a beer at a to have that coffee, listen to what others
conference, or in speaking to a visitor are doing, and engage with a broad set
Summary
to your organization. My final point of economists.
The above discussion highlights some
about promoting effective and strong
of the key issues I’ve experienced. Let
Halac Interview
continued from page 1
in late 2001, exactly when I was grad- much, and then, all of a sudden, I was rules. What ties this body of work together
uating from college. I was working at working with people from all over the for you?
McKinsey at the time, as an intern, but world and being exposed to diverse cul-
For me the common factor is that in-
the situation in Buenos Aires was such tures that I knew little about. It was
centives and information are at the cen-
that we had no projects there. McKin- great.
ter of these problems. These are all sit-
sey offered me a position in one of their As for my research interests, I joined
uations involving a principal and an
offices in Chile or Brazil, but I wasn’t the Bank to study sovereign defaults and
agent—say a manager and a worker, or
ready to make such a big investment in financial crises—having suffered these
society and a policymaker—where the
a career in consulting. in Argentina, I was deeply interested in
principal wants to incentivize the agent
A professor from CEMA then told the subject. And I liked it very much, so
to take some course of action.
me about someone he knew at the when I applied to grad school, I chose
Now the principal’s problem is not
World Bank, Sergio Schmukler, who UC Berkeley, which is a top school for
easy, and information plays a big role
was looking to hire a research assistant, international finance.
in making it complicated. There is often
and it turned out that a coauthor of Ser- Once at Berkeley, however, my in-
asymmetric information between the
gio’s in another sector of the Bank was terests shifted. I became fascinated by
parties, in addition to some aspects of
looking to hire too. So Guillermo and microeconomic theory after taking the
the environment being uncertain, and
I ended up taking those RA positions. first-year courses. Ben Hermalin taught
some aspects of the interaction not be-
Our plan was to go to DC, learn what the contract theory and mechanism de-
ing contractible. All this constrains the
research in economics was about, get sign class, and I loved it. I decided to
incentives that the principal can provide
paid in US dollars—very valuable for take theory as one of my fields in the
to the agent. Moreover, incentives also
us after the depreciation of the peso— second year, and took the contracts class
determine the information that is avail-
and then go back to Argentina a year lat- from Steve Tadelis. I got really lucky:
able. Incentives may affect how much
er when the economy would, hopefully, Steve is an amazing teacher and had
information the parties disclose or learn
have recovered. We did all that except just moved to Berkeley Haas, and that
about the environment and about each
going back: research proved too inter- year was the only year that he taught in
other, or how fast and in what way this
esting to leave! Plus the economic situ- the economics department.
information is learned, which then
ation in Argentina was still pretty bad, After my second year, I started do-
feeds back into incentives.
and we enjoyed our time in DC a lot. ing research on sovereign debt con-
That’s what I find fascinating: there
We got excited about the idea of pursu- tracts, trying to combine my interests
is a rich interaction between incentives
ing PhDs in economics in the US and in international finance and contracts
and information. Information affects
decided to stay another year at the Bank and game theory. But, soon after, I real-
incentives but also depends on incen-
while we applied to grad school. ized what I was really passionate about
tives, and the interplay between these
were the theoretical questions. So I de-
How did your time with the organization two is often dynamic and endogenous.
cided to do theory, and Ben and Steve,
impact you and your research interests? My work has tried to emphasize these
together with Shachar Kariv, became
effects and explore their implications
Those years in DC were very enriching, my advisors. I wrote my dissertation in
for different applied questions.
on both professional and personal lev- relational contracts, which are self-en-
els. I had never written a paper before forcing contracts—very much like those What part of research really excites you?
and I learned a lot by working with Ser- used for sovereign debt! I think my favorite stage of a project is
gio and others at the Bank. On a per-
typically right after I’ve defined a ques-
You have a remarkably broad research
sonal level, the experience complete-
tion. For me the question is motivat-
agenda with papers examining employ-
ly opened my mind. I had grown up
ed by empirical observations or design
ment relationships, innovation, and fiscal
in Buenos Aires and hadn’t travelled
2017 ISSUE III 9
Halac Interview

problems. The next thing I do is ex- What advice would you give to young wom- mentors back in grad school at Berkeley
plore what my intuition says the answer en starting a career in economics? and, after graduating, at Columbia. And
should be; there’s nothing like a strong I have also benefited from the advice of
I would say find a topic that you are pas-
intuition to guide you towards a solu- others in my field; people outside your
sionate about. Don’t be afraid of choos-
tion! The following step is to come up own institutions can be of great help too.
ing a specialization like theory that is
with a strategy: how should I set up the Finally, I would say make sure you
dominated by men or of changing what
model and prove the result formally? invest not only in your research but also
you had planned to study when you dis-
Now at that point I can get quite ab- in managing your career. You see, we
cover something new. Choose to work
sorbed by the problem. It can become are our own managers, and there is very
on something that you would be happy
sort of an obsession, in the sense that little structure in what we do. Should I
to become obsessed with: you’ll spend
part of my brain is constantly think- start a new research project or continue
many hours working on your research
ing about a proof. I realize that may not developing an old idea? Should I attend
and only if you are truly interested in
sound great, but it’s actually very ex- that conference? Where should I submit
the questions you are studying will you
citing! And it’s particularly enriching this paper? These decisions are impor-
enjoy it and stay motivated.
when I’m working with coauthors; I re- tant, and only after you’ve figured them
Also, find good mentors who can
ally like discussing problems with coau- out can you happily submerge yourself
guide you in your research and in your
thors and discovering things together. in your research.
career. I was very fortunate to have great
From the Chair
continued from page 2
of News also includes an interview by Wolfers’ article set off a firestorm of re- how to deal with sexual harassment and
Glenn Hubbard with Marina Halac, the action, including a petition to the AEA improve the climate in economics on is-
recipient of the 2016 Elaine Bennett Re- eventually signed by more than 1,000 sues related to gender. We hope to in-
search Prize. This prize recognizes out- economists. The CSWEP Board issued clude a section of first-person accounts
standing research in economics by a a statement and set of recommenda- (anonymous or not, as you prefer) that
woman not more than seven years be- tions to the AEA Executive Committee illustrates how sexual predation affects
yond her PhD. In the interview, Mari- in early October (https://www .aeaweb . women in economics. Send your con-
na talks about her academic journey, org/about-aea/committees/cswep/ tribution to cswep@econ .ucsb .edu with
the importance of intuition, and career statement), and we were pleased when the subject line “my story”.
management. Finally, Anne Winkler of- they issued a statement that “strong- During the AEA meetings, the
fers an in memoriam tribute to Sharon ly condemns misogyny, racism, ho- CSWEP Board terms of Terra McKin-
G. Levin, whose legacy includes the suc- mophobia, antisemitism and other be- nish, Petra Todd, and Anne Winkler
cess of the many women she mentored haviors that harm our profession” less will be ending. I am so grateful for all
during her long career. than two weeks later. The AEA has also that they have contributed to the activ-
Something surprising and promis- charged an ad hoc committee on profes- ities and the structure of CSWEP and
ing happened this fall—a broad and in- sional conduct and promised to explore look forward to continuing to work with
tense discussion on social media, the the possibility of creating an alterna- them on future CSWEP projects. Terra
press, and elsewhere about gender in tive website to provide information and McKinnish, who has created the Associ-
economics. This was kicked off in Au- transparency to the economics job mar- ate Chair for Mentoring position, will be
gust by CSWEP Board member Justin ket (https://www .aeaweb .org/news/ succeeded by Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan.
Wolfers, whose article in the New York statement-of-the-aea-executive-commit- Anne Winkler will be replaced as Mid-
Times, “Evidence of a Toxic Environ- tee-oct-20-2017). We look forward to be- west Representative by Shahina Amin,
ment for Women in Economics,” dis- ing part of this ongoing discussion, be- and Sandy Black will be taking over Pe-
cussed the Berkeley honors thesis of lieving that EJMR has been not only an tra Todd’s at-large position. Welcome!
Alice Wu (https://goo .gl/WtxjZA). In agent of sexual harassment and gender I’d also like to thank the CSWEP Board
this study, Wu documents the gendered discrimination in economics, but also a members and affiliates who have con-
discourse in the anonymous online fo- signal of a problematic cultural climate tributed so much to CSWEP’s mission
rum Economics Job Market Rumors in our discipline. this year as award committee members,
(EJMR), with sexual terms found to be In related news, we are asking the mentors, event organizers, authors and
distinctly associated with discussions of CSWEP community to share with us CSWEP departmental liaisons.
women. The misogyny and racism of stories of sexual harassment or assault Happy holidays! I hope to see you all
many threads in EJMR, and a history of that you have experienced in a profes- in Philadelphia in January.
persistent harassment of female econo- sional context. The next issue of CSWEP —Shelly
mists, has been discussed for years, but News, in early 2018, will be focused on
10 CSWEP NEWS