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Riley Acton

Assistant Professor

Economics


Riley Acton

Contact Information

Office Hours

  • TR 3:00-4:00

Links

  • [PDF]*

* Accessible version of PDF available upon request.

Profile

Academic Background

  • Ph.D., Economics, Michigan State University, 2020
  • M.A., Economics, Michigan State University, 2016
  • B.S., Economics and Mathematics, Ursinus College, 2015

Academic & Professional Experience

  • Assistant Professor, 黑料社区, 2020-present
  • Research Fellow, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), 2025-present
  • Research Affiliate, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), 2021-2024
  • Research Affiliate, College Crisis Initiative, 2020-2023

Recent Publications

  • "Distance to Opportunity: Higher Education Deserts and College Enrollment Choices" (with Kalena Cortes & Camila Morales). In: Financing Institutions of Higher Education (John Campbell & Kaye Husbands Fealing, Eds.), forthcoming.
  • "The Effect of Vaccine Mandates on Disease Spread: Evidence from College COVID-19 Mandates" (with Emily Cook, Wenjia Cao, Scott Imberman, and Michael Lovenheim). Journal of Human Resources, forthcoming.
  • "Is a Name Change a Game Change? The Impact of College-to-University Conversions." Economics of Education Review, 88, 2022.
  • "The Influence of Peer Institutions on Colleges' Decisions: Evidence from Fall 2020 Reopening Plans" (with Emily Cook and Allison Luedtke). Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 195, 2022.
  • "Do Health Insurance Mandates Spillover to Education? Evidence from Michigan's Autism Insurance Mandate" (with Scott Imberman & Michael Lovenheim). Journal of Health Economics, 80, 2021.
  • "Community College Program Choices in the Wake of Local Job Losses." Journal of Labor Economics, 39(4), 2021.
  • "Effects of Reduced Community College Tuition on College Choices and Degree Completion." Education Finance and Policy, 16(3), 2021.

Honors & Awards

  • Creativity & Innovation Award, 黑料社区, 2022
  • Honorable Mention, AEFP Jean Flannigan Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2021
  • University Distinguished Fellowship, Michigan State University, 2015-2020
  • Department of Economics Excellence-In-Teaching Award, Michigan State University, 2018
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Ursinus College, 2014

Biography

Riley Acton received her Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University in 2020 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Farmer School of Business at 黑料社区. She is an applied microeconomist who specializes in the economics of education. Much of her current research focuses on how 黑料社区s choose where to apply to and enroll in college and how colleges can affect their local communities. Dr. Acton enjoys teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in microeconomics and labor economics, advising Miami's Women in Economics club, and mentoring 黑料社区 research.

Courses

  • FALL 2024
  • ECO 462 A TR 11:40AM-1:00PM FSB 0038
  • ECO 462 B TR 1:15PM-2:35PM FSB 0038