Mikey Jarrell

Bio

I’m an economics PhD student at UC San Diego. I study development and environmental economics to try to improve the lives of the poor. I am particularly interested in lead poisoning in developing countries and what to do about it. I have a master’s from MIT and a bachelor’s from Bowdoin College.

Contact

Email: mjarrell@ucsd.edu
Phone: +1 (585) 208-2818
LinkedIn: Mikey Jarrell
Twitter: @Mikey_Jarrell

Research

Lead Poisoning in Poor Countries: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Abstract (click to expand): Despite alarmingly high levels of lead poisoning, little is known about the sources of exposure to lead in poor countries, methods to eliminate that exposure, and the gains from doing so. I propose three studies to address these knowledge gaps: (1) An event study using exogenous variation in the timing of leaded gasoline bans across Africa; (2) a randomized experiment that staggers the rollout of a subsidy for lead-free paint; (3) an experiment that cross randomizes publicly available lead-testing equipment with the introduction of a reputable lead-free turmeric vendor.

Reply to Roodman (2022): “Comment on Duflo (2001)”

(with Esther Duflo and Nathan Lazarus)

Abstract (click to expand): We reply to the comments of Roodman (2022) on the data and econometric specifications of Duflo (2001). We replicate Roodman’s results and agree with his corrections: standard error clustering, data transcription mistakes, and incorporating survey weights. More importantly, Roodman describes bias in Duflo’s DiD specifications as a result of Mincer equation–driven wage scale dilation. We run additional specifications that seek to correct for this bias and find mixed results. Finally, we supplement Roodman’s proposal to use later followups — by which point the dilation will have dissipated or even reversed — by using a more complete dataset from Hsiao (2023) and find significant positive effects, supporting Duflo’s findings. We also discuss additional weak instrument corrections.

Teaching

As Instructor

• MIT DEDP Master’s: Math Camp

As Teaching Assistant

• UCSD ECON 100B: Microeconomics B, Steven Levkoff
• UCSD GPS 457: Cost–Benefit Analysis, Dale Squires
• MIT 14.75(0): Political Economy and Economic Development, Esther Duflo and Sara Lowes
• MIT 14.73: Challenges of Global Poverty, Esther Duflo and Frank Schilbach
• MIT 14.009: Economics and Society’s Toughest Problems, Esther Duflo

Previous Lives

Golf: I’m a member of World Long Drive and Ultimate Long Drive with a career longest shot of 429 yards and highest World Ranking of 17. I set an amateur world record with a 400 yard drive to win the 2019 Latino Americano Championship. The highlight of my career was losing by four yards to Bryson DeChambeau in the 2021 World Championships.

Film: Videos that my friends and I made are at Average Content. They range from short comedy sketches to full documentaries. Our best work is El Método Cubano (The Cuban Method), a documentary on the legacy of ballet in Cuba that aired on PBS in Rochester, NY. Some of my credits are on IMDb.

Journalism: At Bowdoin College, I was a writer for the school newspaper, a color commentator for live broadcasts of athletic events, and the host of a sports talk radio show. After college, I wrote for The Sports Quotient and my personal blog.

Wildlife: I’m a Field Guides Association of Southern Africa NQF2 certified safari guide and mammal specialist (Mostumi Bush Courses — Rustenburg, South Africa), a PADI Rescue certified scuba diver, and an enthusiastic wildlife photographer (flickr).

Teaching: I have Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) from the Institute of Modern Languages (Granada, Spain) and was an online English tutor to children in China.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Education

• Ph.D. in Economics, University of Californa San Diego, 2029 (expected)
• M.A.Sc. in Data, Economics, and Development Policy, Massachusetts Intitute of Technology, 2022
• B.S. in Romance Languages and Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, 2014

Relevant Experience

• 2022–23: Teaching and Research Assistant to Esther Duflo (MIT, J-PAL)
• 2017–19: Project Manager, 2020 MicroClinic Initiative (Nairobi, Kenya)

Personal

• Citizenship: United States
• Languages: English (native), Spanish (fluent), French (advanced), Italian (advanced), Portuguese (intermediate)

Other Experience

• 2018–20: Professional Long Drive Golfer, World Long Drive
• 2014–19: Photographer and Documentary Filmmaker, Average Content
• 2016–17: Sportswriter, The Sports Quotient
• 2017: Assistant to the Dive Master, Octopus Diving (Grand Case, Saint Martin)
• 2016: Teacher of English as a Second Language, USTalk
• 2014–15: Research Assistant, Forensic Economics Inc. (Rochester, NY)
• 2015: Camp Counselor, Night Eagle Wilderness Adventures (Wallingford, VT)
• 2013: Tutor, Building Dignity Community Center (Lima, Peru)

This website was built with the Hugo theme Academimal. See my GitHub page.