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Todd Pugatch

Oregon State University, USA, and IZA, Germany

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Assistant Professor of Economics, School of Public Policy, Oregon State University; Research Fellow, IZA

Research interest

Development, labor economics, economics of education

Website

https://sites.google.com/site/toddpugatch/

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Short-Term Consultant, World Bank, 2012–2013; Research Associate, United Nations Foundation, Washington DC, 2005; Junior Professional Associate, World Bank, Washington DC 2003–2005.

Qualifications

PhD Economics, University of Michigan, 2011

Selected publications

  • "U.S. Border enforcement and Mexican immigrant location choice." Demography 52:5 (2015) 1543–1570 (with S. Bohn).

  • “Financial constraints and girls’ secondary education: Evidence from school fee elimination in the Gambia.” World Bank Economic Review (Forthcoming) (with M. Blimpo and O. Gajigo).

  • “Non-tuition costs, school access, and student performance: Evidence from the Gambia.” Journal of African Economies, 26:2 (2017): 140–168 (with L. Giordono).

  • “Prospective analysis of a wage subsidy for Cape Town youth.” Journal of Development Economics 108 (2014): 169–183 (with J. Levinsohn).

  • "Incentives for teacher relocation: Evidence from the Gambian hardship allowance." Economics of Education Review 41 (2014): 120-136 (with E. Schroeder).

article(s)

  • Is teacher certification an effective tool for developing countries?

    Increasing teacher certification in developing countries is widely believed to improve student performance; yet the evidence suggests otherwise

    Todd Pugatch, April 2017
    Teachers are perhaps the most important determinant of education quality. But what makes a teacher effective? Developing countries expend substantial resources on certifying teachers and retaining those who become certified; moreover, policymakers and aid donors prioritize increasing the prevalence of certified teachers. Yet there is little evidence that certification improves student outcomes. In fact, augmenting a school's teaching corps with contract teachers hired outside the civil service and without formal qualifications may be more effective in boosting student performance.
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