Bio

Caroline Hoxby is the Scott and Donya Bommer Professor of Economics at Stanford University, a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, and the Director of the Economics of Education Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Before moving to Stanford, she was the Allie S. Fried Professor of Economics at Harvard University. A public and labor economist, Hoxby is one of the world's leading scholars in the Economics of Education. She is especially well known for promoting scientific methods in education research. She was the Principal Investigator of the Expanding College Opportunities project, which had dramatic effects on low-income, high achievers' college-going. For this project, recently received The Smithsonian Institution's Ingenuity Award. Some of the other research for which she is best known includes explaining the rising cost of higher education, the effects of school choice and charter schools on student achievement, and the effects of teacher unionization. She also writes on public school finance, peer effects, and how education affects economic growth. Her recent series of Tanner Lectures on Human Values (Berkeley) focuses on neuroscience and the cognitive skills of adolescents. She is a past Vice-President of the American Economic Association and the current Vice-President of the Western Economic Association International. Hoxby is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. She is an award-winning instructor and advisor and is a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. Hoxby has a Ph.D. from MIT, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and obtained her baccalaureate degree summa cum laude from Harvard University.

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • Fellow, MacArthur Foundation, Inequality and Social Interactions Network (1997 - 2004)
  • Visiting Professor, Paris School of Economics (2006 - 2007)
  • Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University (1994 - 1997)
  • Morris Kahn Associate Professor of Economics, Harvard University (1997 - 2000)
  • Allie S. Freed Professor of Economics, Harvard University (2001 - 2007)
  • Harvard College Professor, Harvard University (2005 - 2007)
  • Scott and Donya Bommer Professor of Economics, Stanford University (2007 - Present)

Honors & Awards

  • Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University (2024-present)
  • Member, American Academic of Sciences and Letters (2024-present)
  • Vice President, Western Economic Association International (2024-present)
  • International Fellow, The British Academy (2021-present)
  • Vice-President, American Economic Association (2021-2022)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2020-present)
  • Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Phi Beta Kappa of Harvard University (2006)
  • Thomas B. Fordham Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in Education, Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2006)
  • Global Leader of Tomorrow, World Economic Forum (2002-2003)
  • Carnegie Scholar, Carnegie Corporation of New York (2000)
  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Economics, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (1999)
  • John M. Olin Junior Faculty Fellowship in Economics, Harvard University (1998)
  • Fellow, Bunting Institute (1996)
  • Best Dissertation in Public Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1994)
  • National Tax Association Award, National Tax Association (1994)
  • Fellowship, Ford Foundation (1993)
  • Fellowship for Research Related to Education, Spencer Foundation (1993)
  • Graduate Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1990-1993)
  • Best Master of Philosophy Thesis in Economics, University of Oxford (1990)
  • Best Thesis in Economics, Harvard University (1988)
  • Hoopes Prize, Harvard University (1988)
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard University (1988)
  • Rhodes Scholarship, Harvard University (1988)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Director, Economics of Education Program, National Bureau of Economic Research
  • Member, Hoover Koret Task Force on K–12 Education
  • Research Associate, Labor, Public Economics, and Children programs, National Bureau of Economic Research
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
  • Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
  • Senior Advisor, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (2012 - Present)
  • Member, Committee on Course Evaluation, Stanford University (2012 - 2020)
  • Faculty Senate, Stanford University (2011 - 2013)
  • Editor, Annual Review of Economics (2010 - 2018)
  • Graduate Policy Committee Member, Stanford University (2010 - 2018)
  • Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES), Breadth Subcommittee Member, Stanford University (2010 - 2012)
  • Undergraduate Advisory Council (UGAC, H&S), Stanford University (2009 - 2013)
  • Honors and Awards Committee Member, American Economics Association (2009 - 2012)
  • Program Committee Member, Society of Labor Economists (2009 - 2010)
  • Co-Chair, Graduate Student Recruiting, Stanford University (2008 - 2009)
  • Co-Chair, Junior Faculty Recruiting, Stanford University (2008 - 2009)
  • Founding Editorial Board Member, Quantitative Economics (2008 - 2008)
  • Program Committee Member, The Econometric Society (2008 - 2008)
  • Statistics Subcommittee Member, Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid (H&S), Stanford University (2007 - 2010)
  • Task Force on Undergraduate Expansion, Stanford University (2007 - 2008)
  • Member, Advisory Committee to the President for the selection of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Stanford University (2006 - 2007)
  • Member, Subcommittee on university policy with respect to electronic publications, copyright, and archival storage, Stanford University (2005 - 2007)
  • Program Committee Member, The Econometric Society (2005 - 2005)
  • Editor, The B.E. Journals in Economic Analysis and Privacy (2004 - 2010)
  • Presidential Appointee, National Board for Education Sciences (2004 - 2009)
  • Review Panel Member, The Spencer Foundation (2004 - 2007)
  • Member, Advisory Committee to the President for the selection of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Stanford University (2004 - 2005)
  • Member, The Committee on Research Policy (FAS), Stanford University (2003 - 2007)
  • Associate Editor, Review of Economics and Statistics (2003 - 2006)
  • Governor's Appointee, Texas Joint Select Committee on Public School Finance (2003 - 2005)
  • Program Committee Member, American Economics Association (2003 - 2003)
  • Advisory Council Member on Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (2002 - 2003)
  • Editorial Board Member, Education Next (2001 - Present)
  • The Resources Committee Member (FAS), Stanford University (2001 - 2007)
  • Economics Panel Member, National Science Foundation (2001 - 2003)
  • Program Committee Member, The Econometrics Society (2000 - 2000)
  • Forecasting in Science and Engineering Panel Member, National Academy of Sciences (1997 - 2000)
  • Faculty Council (FAS), Stanford University (1996 - 1999)
  • Referee, American Economic Review (1994 - Present)
  • Referee, Journal of Political Economy (1994 - Present)
  • Referee, Journal of Labor Economics (1994 - Present)
  • Referee, Quarterly Journal of Economics (1994 - Present)
  • Referee, Journal of Public Economics (1994 - Present)

Program Affiliations

  • Public Policy

Professional Education

  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Economics (1994)
  • M.Phil., University of Oxford, Economics (1990)
  • A.B. summa cum laude, Harvard University, Economics (1988)

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 6072
  • Profile:
    Caroline Hoxby specializes in public economics, the economics of education, and labor economics.

Links

2024-25 Courses

All Publications

  • Advanced Cognitive Skill Deserts in the United States: Their Likely Causes and Implications BROOKINGS PAPERS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Hoxby, C. M. 2021: 317-351

    View details for Web of Science ID 000754129200001

  • The effects of the tax deduction for postsecondary tuition: Implications for structuring tax-based aid ECONOMICS OF EDUCATION REVIEW Hoxby, C. M., Bulman, G. B. 2016; 51: 23-60

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.11.001

    View details for Web of Science ID 000377830600003

  • What High-Achieving Low-Income Students Know About College AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Hoxby, C. M., Turner, S. 2015; 105 (5): 514-517

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.p20151027

    View details for Web of Science ID 000357929400096

  • The Economics of Online Postsecondary Education: MOOCs, Nonselective Education, and Highly Selective Education AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Hoxby, C. M. 2014; 104 (5): 528-533

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.104.5.528

    View details for Web of Science ID 000338925400090

  • The Missing "One-Offs": The Hidden Supply of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students BROOKINGS PAPERS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Hoxby, C., Avery, C. 2013: 1-65

    View details for Web of Science ID 000326998800001

  • A REVEALED PREFERENCE RANKING OF US COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Avery, C. N., Glickman, M. E., Hoxby, C. M., Metrick, A. 2013; 128 (1): 425-467

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qjs043

    View details for Web of Science ID 000314883900010

  • The governance and performance of universities: evidence from Europe and the US ECONOMIC POLICY Aghion, P., Dewatripont, M., Hoxby, C. M., Mas-Colell, A., Sapir, A. 2010: 7-59

    View details for Web of Science ID 000272893300002

  • Public economics HEART OF TEACHING ECONOMICS: LESSONS FROM LEADING MINDS Hoxby, C., Bowmaker, S. 2010: 177–95

    View details for Web of Science ID 000301266300012

  • The Changing Selectivity of American Colleges JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Hoxby, C. M. 2009; 23 (4): 95-118

    View details for Web of Science ID 000272677100005

  • The Governance and Performance of Research Universities: Evidence from Europe and the U.S. Economic Policy Aghion, P., Dewatripont, M., Hoxby, C. M., Mas-Colell, A., Sapir, A. 2009
  • Does competition among public schools benefit students and taxpayers? Reply AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Hoxby, C. A. 2007; 97 (5): 2038-2055

    View details for Web of Science ID 000252228800027

  • Methods of Assessing the Achievement of Students in Charter Schools Charter Schools: Their Growth and Outcomes Hoxby, C. M., Murarka, S. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2007
  • A Tapestry of Choice Programs Reforming Education in Florida Hoxby, C. M. edited by Peterson, P. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press. 2006
  • The Supply of Charter Schools Charter Schools Against the Odds Hoxby, C. M. edited by Hill, P. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press. 2006
  • Adequate Yearly Progress Refining the Heart of the No Child Left Behind Act Within Our Reach: How American Can Educate Every Child Hoxby, C. M. edited by Chubb, J. E. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. 2005
  • Pulled away or pushed out? Explaining the decline of teacher aptitude in the United States Joint Meeting of the Society-of-Government-Economists/116th Annual Meeting of the American-Economic-Association Hoxby, C. M., Leigh, A. AMER ECONOMIC ASSOC. 2004: 236–40

    View details for Web of Science ID 000222423100044

  • Political jurisdictions in heterogeneous communities JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY ALESINA, A., Baqir, R., Hoxby, C. 2004; 112 (2): 348-396

    View details for Web of Science ID 000220482700004

  • Reforming Education in Texas Hoxby, C. M. Hoover Institution Press. 2004
  • School Choice and School Competition: Evidence from the United States Swedish Economic Policy Review Hoxby, C. M. 2004; 10 (2)
  • College Choices: The Economics of Where to Go, When to Go, and How to Pay for It edited by Hoxby, C. M. University of Chicago Press. 2004
  • Do and Should Financial Aid Decisions Affect Students' College Choices? College Choices: The New Economics of Choosing, Attending, and Completing College Avery, C., Hoxby, C. M. edited by Hoxby, C. M. University of Chicago Press. 2004
  • The Economics of School Choice edited by Hoxby, C. M. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2003
  • School Choice and School Productivity (Or, Could School Choice be a Rising Tide that Lifts All Boats)" The Economics of School Choice Hoxby, C. M. edited by Hoxby, C. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2003
  • A Nation at Risk, Then and Now: What has Changed and What has Not Our Schools and Our Future Hoxby, C. M. edited by Peterson, P. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press. 2003
  • The Power of Peers: How Does the Makeup of A Classroom Influence Achievement Education Next Hoxby, C. M. 2003; 2 (2)
  • Would school choice change the teaching profession? Symposium on Designing Incentives to Promote Human Capital Hoxby, C. M. UNIV WISCONSIN PRESS. 2002: 846–91

    View details for Web of Science ID 000178678700007

  • How School Choice Affects the Achievement of Public School Students Choice with Equity Hoxby, C. M. edited by Hill, P. Stanford: Hoover Press. 2002
  • The Cost of Accountability School Accountability Hoxby, C. M. edited by Evers, W., Walberg, H. Stanford: Hoover Press. 2002
  • All school finance equalizations are not created equal QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Hoxby, C. M. 2001; 116 (4): 1189-1231

    View details for Web of Science ID 000172148400002

  • Rising Tide: New Evidence on Competition and the Public Schools Education Next Hoxby, C. M. 2001; 1 (4)
  • If Families Matter Most, Where Do Schools Come In? A Primer on American Schools Hoxby, C. M. edited by Moe, T. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press. 2001
  • Where Should Federal Education Initiatives Be Directed? K-12 Education Versus Higher Education Financing College Tuition Hoxby, C. M. edited by Kosters, M. Washington, DC: AEI Press. 2001
  • Does competition among public schools benefit students and taxpayers? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Hoxby, C. M. 2000; 90 (5): 1209-1238

    View details for Web of Science ID 000165912000007

  • The effects of class size on student achievement: New evidence from population variation QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Hoxby, C. M. 2000; 115 (4): 1239-1285

    View details for Web of Science ID 000165359000005

  • The productivity of schools and other local public goods producers JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS Hoxby, C. M. 1999; 74 (1): 1-30

    View details for Web of Science ID 000082293400001

  • The Effects of School Choice on Curriculum and Atmosphere Earning and Learning: How Schools Matter Hoxby, C. M. edited by Mayer, S., Peterson, P. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 1999
  • How much does school spending depend on family income? The historical origins of the current school finance dilemma 110th Annual Meeting of the American-Economic-Association Hoxby, C. M. AMER ECONOMIC ASSOC. 1998: 309–14

    View details for Web of Science ID 000073658200058

  • Tax Incentives for Higher Education Tax Policy and the Economy Hoxby, C. M. edited by Poterba, J. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. 1998
  • Analyzing School Choice Reforms Using America's Traditional Forms of School Choice Learning from School Choice Hoxby, C. M. edited by Hassel, B., Peterson, P. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 1998
  • What do America's 'Traditional' Forms of School Choice Teach Us About School Choice Reforms Federal Reserve Bank of New York Economic Policy Review Hoxby, C. M. 1998; 4 (1)
  • Are efficiency and equity in school finance substitutes or complements? JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Hoxby, C. M. 1996; 10 (4): 51-72

    View details for Web of Science ID A1996VY70700004

  • How teachers' unions affect education production QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Hoxby, C. M. 1996; 111 (3): 671-718

    View details for Web of Science ID A1996VC45900002

  • Evidence on Private School Voucers: Effects on School and Students Performance-Based Approaches to School Reform Hoxby, C. M. edited by Ladd, H. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. 1996
  • How New York City Schools Affect Achievement NBER Policy report and technical report Hoxby, C., Kang, J., Muraka, S. Cambridge: NBER. 1009