I am a labor economist. I evaluate public policies that affect vulnerable populations faced with critical life transitions such as older workers’ transition to retirement and young adults’ transition to adulthood. I examine the intended, and unintended, consequences of public policies such as antidiscrimination laws, worker classification laws, health insurance mandates, barriers to retirement, and the potential effects of artificial intelligence on the future of work. My compelling empirical findings can be used to design more effective evidence-based legislation.

• PhD, Economics, University of California Irvine, 2013
• MA, Economics, University of California Irvine, 2011
• Non-degree JD Course, University of California Irvine School of Law, 2010
• BS, Economics (Minor: Math), Summa Cum Laude, California State University Los Angeles, 2008

• Barkowski, Scott, Joanne Song McLaughlin, and Yinlin Dai. Forthcoming. “Young Children and Parents’ Labor Supply during COVID-19” American Journal of Health Economics
• Barkowski, Scott, and Joanne Song McLaughlin. 2022. “In Sickness and In Health: Interaction Effects of State and Federal Health Insurance Coverage Mandates on Marriage of Young Adults.” Journal of Human Resources 57(2): 637-688.
• Barkowski, Scott, Joanne Song McLaughlin, and Alex Ray. 2020. “A Reevaluation of the Effects of State and ACA Dependent Coverage Mandates on Health Insurance Coverage.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 39(3): 629-663.
  
• McLaughlin, Joanne Song. 2019. “Age Discrimination Laws, Physical Challenges, and Work Accommodations for Older Workers.” Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, Fall Special Issue, 43(3).
• McLaughlin, Joanne Song and David Neumark. 2018. “Barriers to Later Retirement for Men: Increases in the Full Retirement Age and the Physical Challenges of Work.” Research on Aging 40 (3): 232-256.
• McLaughlin, Joanne Song “Limited Legal Recourse for Older Women’s Intersectional Discrimination Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.” April 2018. Accepted. The Elder Law Journal.
• Neumark, David, Joanne Song, and Patrick Button. 2017. “Does Protecting Older Workers from Discrimination Make It Harder to Get Hired? Evidence from Disability Discrimination Laws.” Research on Aging 39 (1): 29-63.
• McLaughlin, Joanne Song. 2017. “Does Communist Party Membership Pay? Estimating the Economic Returns to Party membership in the Labor Market in China.” Journal of Comparative Economics 45 (4): 963-983.
• Neumark, David and Joanne Song. 2013. “Do Stronger Age Discrimination Laws Make Social Security Reforms More Effective?” Journal of Public Economics 108 (December): 1-16.