He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland, focusing on macroeconomics and political economy. His dissertation explored possible behavioral explanations of education investments and income mobility in the United States.His research focuses on behavioral and political economy explanations of the income distribution, mainly in the United States. Current projects including the effects of positive versus negative campaign advertising, looking at the effects of changing income inequality on economic growth, and the effects of top marginal tax rates on the growth of worker income. His work has appeared in Education Economics, The American Prospect, and HBR Online.