Associate Professor, Economics
B.A., Claremont McKenna College; M.S., Ph.D., UC Davis
Appointed In
2018
Office
Fowler 225
Hours
On sabbatical for Fall 2026
Kevin Williams is an applied micro economist whose research focuses on the economics of higher education. He teaches multiple courses related to econometrics as well as game theory. Read his Oxy Story profile.
Research
Prof. Williams' research has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Labor Economics and Economics of Education Review. His primary focus is studying student achievement in higher education. His papers have approached the topic using peer effects, scheduling, course timing, and major choice. Additional work includes topics such as researcher bias, campus speech, and causal inference.
Published and Forthcoming Papers
- The Sources of Researcher Variation in Economics with Nicholas Huntington-Klein, Claus Portner and the Many Economist Research Collective, Journal of Economic Literature, forthcoming 2026
- Timetables, Attendance and Academic Achievement in Higher Education, With Adeline Delavande, Emilia Del Bono, and Angus Holford, European Economic Review, Vol 189, 2026
- Foreign Students in College and the Supply of STEM Graduates, With Massimo Anelli and Kevin Shih, Journal of Labor Economics , Vol 41-2, 511-563,.2023
- Academic Achievement Across the Day: Evidence from Randomized Class Schedules, With Teny Shapiro, Economics of Education Review, 67, 158-170, 2018
Work in Progress
- Stressing Incivility: Expressed Views, Physiological Arousal and Campus Free Speech, With Emily Sydnor
- Crowded College Cohorts: Evidence from the PSEO
Teaching
Prof. Williams has extensive teaching experience at all levels of econometrics. He also teaches courses in game theory, the economics of education and more.
- Econ 272 - Applied Econometrics
- Econ 305 - Game Theory
- Econ 306 - Advanced Econometrics
- Econ 330 - Economics of Education
- Econ 498 - Advanced Research Seminar
- Prior Employment: Principles of Economics, PhD Econometrics (year-long), Advanced Data Analysis