His broad research interests are in applied microeconomics, with an emphasis on the formation of human capital and the role of incentives in the public sphere. His recent work examines the unintended consequences that can arise in an education setting when reforms designed to hold teachers more accountable for the performance of their students are implemented. His current work uses both theoretical modeling and structural estimation to examine the various aspects of the education production process that underlies student achievement, such as teacher effort and the match between teachers and students. The goal of this work is to evaluate and prescribe policy refinements in order to allocate education resources more efficiently.