He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He also received a M.P.A. degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.S. in computer science and psychology from the University of Michigan. His recent research focuses on subjective well-being, social welfare programs, and time and social preferences. One recent paper explored the impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on mental health and happiness. His research has been published in the American Economic Review, Experimental Economics, the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, the Journal of Happiness Studies, and the Review of Economics of the Household.