Economic Benefits of Higher Education: Maximilian Müller and Zach Bleemer

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do people choose to go to college (or not)? What impact do race-based or financial aid policies have on higher education and the broader economy? In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek spoke with two UC Berkeley-trained economists whose research focuses on higher education and its impact on the broader economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://www.maximilianwmueller.com/">Maximilian Müller</a>, a PhD candidate in the Department of Economics at UC Berkeley, will join the</span> <a href="https://www.tse-fr.eu/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Toulouse School of Economics</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2023 following a year as Postdoctoral Fellow at the</span> <a href= "https://www.briq-institute.org/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">briq Institute</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">on Behavior & Inequality in Bonn. Maximilian is a behavioral economist studying questions in fields such as education, development, and family economics. In his research, he examines social influences on individual behavior and beliefs around big life decisions, such as career choices, and their potential consequences for society-wide outcomes, such as social mobility. Prior to his PhD, he obtained an M.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford and a B.Sc. in Economics from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://zacharybleemer.com">Zach Bleemer</a> will join the Yale School of Management as an Assistant Professor of Economics in Fall 2022. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Opportunity Insights at Harvard University and a Research Associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley. He uses quasi-experimental research designs and longitudinal administrative data to study economic mobility and the determinants of U.S. labor market outcomes. Zach holds a BA in philosophy, economics, and mathematics fro