Alvin Christian

I am a PhD candidate in Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan who studies pressing public policy issues. My research asks (i) how people make consequential decisions, (ii) how institutional rules shape these decisions, and (iii) how these decisions and rules interact and affect life outcomes. I currently study education and domestic violence because they are both common and consequential: nearly everyone passes through schools, far too many encounter violence, and both strongly determine life outcomes.  My work combines economic theory, causal inference methods, and novel data linkages—administrative records, original surveys, and nontraditional sources.  In education, I examine how students access and use support services, how information and beliefs shape labor market decisions, and how organizations—school districts, boards, and universities—make decisions under uncertainty. In domestic violence, I examine how laws and institutional design affect safety, family formation, and work. 

My research has been supported by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and published in academic journals such as Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, American Educational Research Journal, and Oxford Economic Papers. It has been cited in White House reports and featured by media outlets such as The 74. My parents do not read it because it's "too long," but they say it looks professional and they're proud of me.

I am on the 2025-2026 job market and available for interviews. My job market paper can be found here.