Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research (1996 - Present)

2024-25 Courses


All Publications


  • The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime over the Last Two Decades AMERICAN LAW AND ECONOMICS REVIEW Donohue, J. J., Levitt, S. 2020; 22 (2): 241–302
  • Right-to-Carry Laws and Violent Crime: A Comprehensive Assessment Using Panel Data and a State-Level Synthetic Control Analysis JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES Donohue, J. J., Aneja, A., Weber, K. D. 2019; 16 (2): 198–247

    View details for DOI 10.1111/jels.12219

    View details for Web of Science ID 000467977700001

  • Saving lives by regulating guns: Evidence for policy Despite obstacles, research is clarifying gun-policy impacts SCIENCE Cook, P. J., Donohue, J. J. 2017; 358 (6368): 1259–61

    View details for DOI 10.1126/science.aar3067

    View details for Web of Science ID 000417254700041

    View details for PubMedID 29217559

  • COMEY, TRUMP, AND THE PUZZLING PATTERN OF CRIME IN 2015 AND BEYOND COLUMBIA LAW REVIEW Donohue, J. J. 2017; 117 (5): 1297–1354
  • Empirical Evaluation of Law: The Dream and the Nightmare AMERICAN LAW AND ECONOMICS REVIEW Donohue, J. J. 2015; 17 (2): 313-360
  • An Empirical Evaluation of the Connecticut Death Penalty System Since 1973: Are There Unlawful Racial, Gender, and Geographic Disparities? JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES Donohue, J. J. 2014; 11 (4): 637-696

    View details for DOI 10.1111/jels.12052

    View details for Web of Science ID 000344458600003

  • The Road to Abolition? The Future of Capital Punishment in the United States (Book Review) THEORETICAL CRIMINOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Donohue, J. J. 2011; 15 (1): 104–6
  • Uses and abuses of empirical evidence in the death penalty debate STANFORD LAW REVIEW Donohue, J. J., Wolfers, J. 2005; 58 (3): 791-845
  • The schooling of southern blacks: The roles of legal activism and private philanthropy, 1910-1960 QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Donohue, J. J., Heckman, J. J., TODD, P. E. 2002; 117 (1): 225-268
  • The impact of legalized abortion on crime QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Donohue, J. J., Levitt, S. D. 2001; 116 (2): 379-420
  • Allocating resources among prisons and social programs in the battle against crime JOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES Donohue, J. J., Siegelman, P. 1998; 27 (1): 1-43
  • THE CHANGING NATURE OF EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION LITIGATION STANFORD LAW REVIEW Donohue, J. J., Siegelman, P. 1991; 43 (5): 983-1033
  • A panel-based proxy for gun prevalence in US and Mexico INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF LAW AND ECONOMICS Cerqueira, D., Coelho, D., Donohue, J. J., Fernandes, M., Pinto Junior, J. 2022; 71
  • Increasing Murders but Overall Lower Crime Suggests a Growing Gun Problem. American journal of public health Donohue, J. J. 2022: e1-e3

    View details for DOI 10.2105/AJPH.2022.306785

    View details for PubMedID 35324267

  • More Gun Carrying, More Violent Crime ECON JOURNAL WATCH Donohue, J. J. 2018; 15 (1): 67-+
  • Laws Facilitating Gun Carrying and Homicide AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Donohue, J. J. 2017; 107 (12): 1864–65

    View details for PubMedID 29116839

  • Testing the Immunity of the Firearm Industry to Tort Litigation JAMA INTERNAL MEDICINE Studdert, D. M., Donohue, J. J., Mello, M. M. 2017; 177 (1): 102-105

    Abstract

    In the absence of congressional action to reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons, tort litigation offers an alternative strategy for regulating what have become the weapons of choice in mass shootings. However, opportunities to bring successful claims are limited. To prevail, plaintiffs must show that their suit fits within exceptions to the broad immunity from tort actions that Congress gave the firearm industry in the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. In one particularly high-profile lawsuit, families of victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 sued the makers and sellers of the military-style rifle used in the attack, alleging negligence and deceptive marketing. The trial court dismissed the case on October 14, 2016, but the plaintiffs plan to appeal. We review the history of tort litigation against the firearm industry, outline the Newtown families' claims, and describe the decision.

    View details for DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.7043

    View details for Web of Science ID 000392196200023

    View details for PubMedID 27842188

  • Current Scope and State of Nationally Compiled Crime Data MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 31–84
  • Historical and Extant Classifications of Crime MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 103–15
  • Charge to the Panel on Modernizing the Nation's Crime Statistics MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 171–73
  • Participants in the Panel's Workshop-Style Meetings and Regular Sessions MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 175–81
  • Proposed Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 117–57
  • Alternative and Example Classifications of Crime MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 183–201
  • Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 259–66
  • Users (and Uses) of Crime Statistics MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 85–102
  • MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS Report 1-Defining and Classifying Crime Summary MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 1-+
  • Introduction: Crime Statistics in the United States MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS: REPORT 1-DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CRIME Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L., Bibel, D. B., Caulkins, J. P., English, K., Goerge, R. M., Joyce, N. M., McDowall, D., Madans, J. H., Maltz, M. D., Miller, M. C., Nolan, J. J., O'Hara, A., Pepper, J. V., Piquero, A. R., Sedgwick, J. L., Lynch, J. P., Wormeli, P. K., Hauser, S., Spar, E., Siri, M., Brown, L. D., Abowd, J. M., Blau, F., Bock, M., Chernew, M., Dillman, D. A., Gatsonis, C., House, J. S., Hout, M., Mesenbourg, T. L., Murphy, S. A., Nusser, S. M., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., Peterson, R. D., Rigobon, R., Shortliffe, E. H., Citro, C. F., Harris-Kojetin, B., Travis, J., Bell, C. C., Donohue, J. J., Fullilove, M., Kleiman, M., LaFree, G., Nagin, D. S., Piehl, A., Prieto, D. B., Raphael, S., Robinson, L., Sorenson, S. B., Western, B., Widom, C., Grasso, K., Panel Modernizing Nation's Crime S, Comm Natl Stat, Comm Law Justice, Div Behav Social Sci Educ, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med, Lauritsen, J. L., Cork, D. L. 2016: 9–29
  • Substance vs. Sideshows in the More Guns, Less Crime Debate: A Comment on Moody, Lott, and Marvell ECON JOURNAL WATCH Aneja, A., Donohue, J. J., Zhang, A. 2013; 10 (1): 32-?
  • Drug Prohibition and Its Alternatives Workshop on Lessons from the Economics of Crime - What Works in Reducing Offending Donohue, J. J. MIT PRESS. 2013: 45–66
  • The Impact of Right-to-Carry Laws and the NRC Report: Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy AMERICAN LAW AND ECONOMICS REVIEW Aneja, A., Donohue, J. J., Zhang, A. 2011; 13 (2): 565-632
  • Assessing Post-ADA Employment: Some Econometric Evidence and Policy Considerations JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES Donohue, J. J., Stein, M. A., Griffin, C. L., Becker, S. 2011; 8 (3): 477-503
  • The employment consequences of wrongful-discharge laws: Large, small, or none at all? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Autor, D. H., Donohue, J. J., Schwab, S. J. 2004; 94 (2): 440-446
  • Further evidence that legalized abortion lowered crime - A reply to joyce JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCES Donohue, J. J., Levitt, S. D. 2004; 39 (1): 29-49
  • A clarification on data availability SCIENCE Donohue, J. J. 2003; 301 (5641): 1849

    View details for Web of Science ID 000185536700022

    View details for PubMedID 14512606

  • The latest misfires in support of the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis STANFORD LAW REVIEW AYRES, I., Donohue, J. J. 2003; 55 (4): 1371-1398
  • Shooting down the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis STANFORD LAW REVIEW AYRES, I., Donohue, J. J. 2003; 55 (4): 1193-1312
  • The impact of race on policing and arrests JOURNAL OF LAW & ECONOMICS Donohue, J. J., Levitt, S. D. 2001; 44 (2): 367-394
  • Understanding the reasons for and impact of legislatively mandated benefits for selected workers STANFORD LAW REVIEW Donohue, J. J. 2001; 53 (4): 897-914
  • Understanding the time path of crime JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW & CRIMINOLOGY Donohue, J. J. 1998; 88 (4): 1423-1451
  • Guns, violence, and the efficiency of illegal markets 110th Annual Meeting of the American-Economic-Association Donohue, J. J., Levitt, S. D. AMER ECONOMIC ASSOC. 1998: 463–67
  • Did Miranda diminish police effectiveness? STANFORD LAW REVIEW Donohue, J. J. 1998; 50 (4): 1147-1180
  • THE IMPACT OF FEDERAL CIVIL-RIGHTS POLICY ON THE ECONOMIC-STATUS OF BLACKS HARVARD JOURNAL OF LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY Donohue, J. J. 1991; 14 (1): 41-52