Max Kapustin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. He studies interventions to improve the life outcomes of disadvantaged youth and adults, particularly ways to reduce their exposure to gun violence. Using large-scale experiments and other methods, his work measures the causal effects of efforts such as cognitive behavioral therapy and employment for men at high risk of gun violence, mentorship for youth disengaged from school, and data-driven management changes within police departments. Prior to Cornell, he was a Senior Research Director at the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab from 2016-2020, where he remains an affiliate.


Curriculum Vitae

Publications

"Machine Learning Can Predict Shooting Victimization Well Enough to Help Prevent It" (with Sara B. Heller, Benjamin Jakubowski, and Zubin Jelveh). Accepted, The Review of Economics and Statistics. Ungated copy.

Formerly: NBER Working Paper 30170

"Employment and Earnings of Men at High Risk of Gun Violence" (with Monica P. Bhatt, Sara B. Heller, Marianne Bertrand, and Chris Blattman). AEA Papers and Proceedings, 114: 58-64. May 2024.

"Predicting and Preventing Gun Violence: An Experimental Evaluation of READI Chicago" (with Monica P. Bhatt, Sara B. Heller, Marianne Bertrand, and Chris Blattman). Quarterly Journal of Economics, 139(1): 1-56. February 2024. Ungated copy.

Formerly: NBER Working Paper 30852

Coverage: Probable Causation (podcast)

"Housing Voucher Take-Up and Labor Market Impacts" (with Eric Chyn and Joshua Hyman), Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 38(1): 65-98. Winter 2019.

"The Impact of Housing Assistance on Child Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Housing Lottery" (with Brian A. Jacob and Jens Ludwig), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1): 465-506. February 2015.

Formerly: NBER Working Paper 20164

Working Papers

"Policing and Management" (with Terrence D. Neumann and Jens Ludwig). 2022. NBER Working Paper 29851. Ungated copy.

In Progress

"Providing Intensive Wraparound Supports for Disengaged Chicago Youth: A Randomized Evaluation" (with Nour Abdul-Razzak and Max Lubell) 

"Improving Fatherhood Outcomes for Non-Resident Fathers" (with Isaac Ahuvia, Rachael Maguire, and Steve Raphael)

"The Effect of Police Spending on Crime: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design" (with Philip J. Cook, Jens Ludwig, and Doug Miller)

"We’re Building Something Here: Reducing Gun Violence Without Exacerbating the Harms of Policing in Baltimore’s Western District" (with Aaron Chalfin, Jeremy Biddle, Cristina Layana, Brian A. Wade, Ben Struhl, and Anthony A. Braga)

"Improving Police Performance: An Experimental Evaluation of the Policing Leadership Academy" (with Dylan Fitzpatrick, Aaron Chalfin, and Anthony A. Braga)

Long-term follow-up of READI Chicago, including crime and health outcomes (with Monica P. Bhatt, Sara B. Heller, Marianne Bertrand, and Chris Blattman)