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Brian C. Cadena

University of Colorado Boulder, USA, and IZA, Germany

IZA World of Labor is making excellent progress toward the goal of making the research frontier accessible and digestible for policymakers and academics. I’m very pleased to contribute to this important effort in service of better evidence-based policymaking

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Research interest

Labor economics, applied econometrics, public economics.

Website

https://www.colorado.edu/faculty/cadena/

Past positions

Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Qualifications

PhD Economics, University of Michigan, 2008

Selected publications

  • “Investment over the business cycle: Insights from college major choice.” Journal of Labor Economics 39:4 (2021): 1043–1082 (with E. Blom and B. J. Keys).

  • “Immigrants equilibrate local labor markets: Evidence from the Great Recession.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 8:1 (2016): 257–290 (with B. K. Kovak).

  • “Human capital and the lifetime costs of impatience.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 7:3 (2015): 126–153 (with B. J. Keys).

  • “Can self-control explain avoiding free money? Evidence from interest-free student loans”. Review of Economics and Statistics 95:4 (2013): 1117-1129 (with B. J. Keys).

  • “Native competition and low-skilled immigrant inflows.” The Journal of Human Resources 48:4 (2013): 910–944.

article(s)

  • The labor market consequences of impatience Updated

    Some people would be happier if they were required to stay in school longer or search harder for a job while unemployed

    Brian C. CadenaBenjamin J. Keys, October 2022
    Standard economic theory suggests that individuals know best how to make themselves happy. Thus, policies designed to encourage more forward-looking behaviors will only reduce people's happiness. Recently, however, economists have explored the role of impatience, especially difficulties with delaying gratification, in several important economic choices. There is strong evidence that some people have trouble following through on investments that best serve their long-term interests. These findings open the door to policies encouraging or requiring more patient behaviors, which would allow people to enjoy the eventual payoff from higher initial investment.
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