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Public Policy

Emily Weisburst

Associate Professor of Public Policy

I am an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles. My research focuses on topics in labor economics and public finance, including criminal justice and education.

I recently earned my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. While in graduate school, I worked as a Staff Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President and as a research associate for the RAND Corporation on joint projects with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. I have also received the NAED Spencer Dissertation Fellowship to support my research on the impact of funding for police in public schools on student disciplinary outcomes and educational attainment in Texas.

My research interests include understanding factors that impact police decision-making and public trust in police. I am also interested in how interactions with the criminal justice system affect individuals, families and communities. A recent paper examines how much police discretion matters to law enforcement outcomes, after accounting for offense context. In this project, I find that the likelihood that an incident results in an arrest critically depends on the officer that shows up to respond to an offense reported through a police call for service.

For more information about my work, check out my website: emilyweisburst.com

Educational Background

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Texas at Austin
M.S. in Economics, University of Texas at Austin
B.A. in Economics, Dartmouth College (Cum Laude)

Areas of Expertise

Applied Microeconomics, Criminal Justice Policy, Education, Labor Economics, Policing, Quantitative Analysis

Latest News

Weisburst Selected as National Bureau of Economic Research Fellow

May 21, 2024

The UCLA Luskin public policy faculty member is a labor economist who focuses on criminal justice and education.

Financial Support Advances Timely, Problem-Solving Research

December 21, 2023

Amid rising costs and declining state support, grants and gifts are more important than ever.

Latest News

Weisburst Selected as National Bureau of Economic Research Fellow

May 21, 2024

The UCLA Luskin public policy faculty member is a labor economist who focuses on criminal justice and education.

Financial Support Advances Timely, Problem-Solving Research

December 21, 2023

Amid rising costs and declining state support, grants and gifts are more important than ever.

Weisburst on Impact of Expanding Police Forces

December 1, 2021

Research team finds that when more officers are hired, homicides drop, but each extra officer adds up to 22 arrests for low-level crimes like drug possession.

Weisburst on Racial Disparities in Policing

June 4, 2021

Investing in law enforcement may save Black lives but also increases arrests for low-level offenses and risks of intensive policing, research shows.

Weisburst on Impact of Police in Schools

May 26, 2021

Her research shows that Black, Hispanic and disabled students are disproportionately affected by the presence of police officers on school campuses.

Contact Information

Phone

(310) 794-6075

weisburst@ucla.edu

Office Location

6369, Public Affairs

Media Contact

For media inquiries, contact Kate Shirley at kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu (email preferred) or 310-206-5252.

Working Papers:

Gonçalves, Felipe, Steven Mello, and Emily Weisburst. 2025. “Selection Bias and Racial Disparities in Police Use of Force.” NBER Link ; Paper (Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Political Economy)

Journal Articles:

Gonçalves, Felipe, Elisa Jácome, and Emily Weisburst. 2026. “Community Engagement and Public Safety: Evidence from Crime Enforcement Targeting Immigrants.” American Economic Review 116 (8), 3076-3109. Paper

[Previously Titled: “Immigration Enforcement and Public Safety”]

Cho, Sungwoo, Felipe Gonçalves, and Emily Weisburst. 2023. “The Impact of Fear on Police Behavior and Public Safety.” (Forthcoming, Review of Economics and Statistics). NBER Link ; Most Recent Version – Paper

[Previously Titled: “Do Police Make Too Many Arrests? The Effect of Enforcement Pullbacks on Crime” (2021)]

Afrouzi, Hassan, Carolina Arteaga, and Emily Weisburst. 2024. “Is it the Message or the Messenger? Examining Movement in Immigration Beliefs.” Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics 2 (2), 244-297. Paper ; Online Appendix ; Supplementary Appendix ; Link

Weisburst, Emily. 2024. “Whose Help is on the Way? The Importance of Individual Police Officers in Law Enforcement Outcomes.” Journal of Human Resources 59 (4), 1122-1149. (published online, 2022). Paper ; Link

Chalfin, Aaron, Ben Hansen, Emily Weisburst, and Morgan C. Williams, Jr. 2022. “Police Force Size and Civilian Race.” American Economic Review: Insights 4 (2), 139-158. Paper ; Link

Gompers, Paul, Vladimir Mukharlyamov, Emily Weisburst, and Yuhai Xuan. 2021. “Gender Gaps in Venture Capital Performance.” Journal of Quantitative and Financial Analysis, 1-58. Paper ; Link

Daugherty, Lindsay, Russell Gerber, Paco Martorell, Trey Miller, and Emily Weisburst. 2021. “Heterogeneity in the Effects of College Course Placement.” Research in Higher Education 62, 1086-1111. Paper ; Link

Weisburst, Emily. 2019. “Patrolling Public Schools: The Impact of Funding for School Police on Student Discipline and Long-term Education Outcomes.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 38 (2), 338-365. Paper ; Link

Weisburst, Emily. 2019. “Safety in Police Numbers: Evidence of Police Effectiveness from Federal COPS Grant Applications.” American Law and Economics Review 21 (1), 81-109. Paper ; Link

Weisburst, Emily. 2019. “Police Use of Force as an Extension of Arrests: Examining Disparities across Civilian and Officer Race.” AEA Papers & Proceedings 109, 152-156. Paper ; Link

Cunha, Jesse, Trey Miller, and Emily Weisburst. 2018. “Information and College Decisions: Evidence from the Texas GO Center Project.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 40 (1), 151-170. Paper ; Link

Weisburst, Emily, Lindsay Daugherty, Paco Martorell, Trey Miller, and Jana Cossairt. 2017. “Innovative Pathways through Developmental Education and Post-Secondary Success: An Examination of Developmental Math Interventions Across Texas.” The Journal of Higher Education 88 (2), 189-209. Paper ; Link