Econometrician Stephen H. Bell Joins NORC at the University of Chicago
CHICAGO, January 10, 2022 – NORC at the University of Chicago has appointed renowned econometrician Stephen H. Bell as a senior fellow to its Economics, Justice & Society (EJS) department. Bell, a PhD economist, brings nearly four decades of experience examining the effects of federal, state, and international social programs.
At NORC, Bell will measure the effectiveness and benefit-cost return of public interventions across a range of policy fields, including initiatives designed to help disadvantaged citizens by supplying workforce, disability, income support, and educational assistance.
“We welcome Steve and look forward to drawing upon his experience with measuring the impact of government social programs—and his quantitative evaluation tools more broadly —to assist our diverse clients and partners including policymakers, academics, and others,” said Lisa Blumerman, senior vice president, EJS.
“Collaborating closely with Lisa and our seasoned EJS colleagues will expand the mission I have always held of providing reliable evidence of the effectiveness of social policy interventions designed to improve the well-being of Americans and others, worldwide,” Bell said. “In this endeavor, stronger evaluation tools let us move beyond conventional research questions and minimize the risk of bias in the policy guidance provided.”
Bell has developed innovative methodologies to strengthen impact estimation from experimental designs, such as measurement of impacts on the conventionally served based on pre-randomization identification of preferred applicants, unbiased impact measurement for endogenous subgroups using symmetric prediction, and extraction of long-run impacts after control group phase-out . These methodologies have been published in peer-reviewed statistics and evaluation journals, a U.S. Department of Labor field guide on evaluation methods, and a book on quasi-experimental impact analysis techniques.
Bell’s list of peer-reviewed publications currently stands at 35, with 12 peer-reviewed articles in the last decade. In 2018, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management recognized a work that Bell coauthored, What Interventions Work Best for Families Who Experience Homelessness? Impact Estimates from the Family Options Study, as the best article of the year.
In addition, Bell has served on the Policy Council of the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management and chaired the Design and Analysis of Experiments unit of the American Evaluation Association.
Bell received his PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has previously worked at Abt Associates, The Urban Institute, and Westat before joining NORC.
“Collaborating closely with Lisa and our seasoned EJS colleagues will expand the mission I have always held of providing reliable evidence of the effectiveness of social policy interventions designed to improve the well-being of Americans and others, worldwide.”
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).