Biography:
Alex Bell is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Policy Lab at UCLA. Dr. Bell’s research seeks to document the unequal experiences of workers in the labor market and the implications of these inequalities for society as a whole. He is also interested in the intersection of labor market inequality with innovation. He often collaborates with government and non-profit partners to leverage large-scale administrative datasets that allow him to combine academic research with policy impact. Prior to joining CPL, Dr. Bell earned a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. At CPL, Dr. Bell is part of a team focused on labor and employment. In this role, he leads economic analyses and authors academic papers and policy briefs.
The Long-Term Impacts of Mentors: Evidence from Experimental and Administrative Data
Abstract:
How do mentors shape kids’ identities and later-life outcomes? To evaluate this question, we leverage program administrative records and microdata from a 1991 RCT that randomized disadvantaged children’s eligibility for a popular mentoring program. Our re-analysis of the multitude of outcomes collected by the original short-run survey suggests that kids’ behaviors improved during the time they were with mentors. A linkage to later-life administrative tax records shows that treated youth were 10 percentage points more likely to attend college and also showed positive (though less significant) effects on teen birth and marriage. RCT estimates of earnings effects are imprecise. However, using a larger dataset of program administrative records, we develop a supplementary research design comparing matched versus unmatched applicants that replicates key findings from the RCT, and also reveals significant long-term positive earnings gains from program participation on the order of 20%. Through the lens of a model in which adults of differing socioeconomic status influence kids’ decision-making, we estimate that mentors may have the potential to mitigate on the order of 2/3 of the disadvantage that ordinarily hampers low-income childrens’ socioeconomic trajectories in adulthood. Although our estimates suggest that mentoring programs will not fully equalize economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth, the program’s relatively low costs and substantial benefits may place it among the most cost-effective interventions of its type to be evaluated.
To learn more about Dr. Alex Bell, visit his department homepage here: