Federal Fiscal & Tax Policy
DOGE’s impact in Indian Country: Nearly $470 million in lost funding
On Friday, October 16, 2026 the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted a conference to celebrate and recognize new doctoral research in tax policy and public finance. Promising, policy-relevant job market papers were presented to economists and policy-oriented professionals in Washington to help forge lasting relationships between the DC policy and the academic communities at the start of new academic careers.
The papers are available below.
Agenda
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October 16
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Tax Policy and Capital Maintenance
Jackson Mejia PhD in economics - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor of Economics, School of Civic Leadership - University of Texas at Austin -
Payments Under the Table: Estimation and Implications for Optimal Tax Policy
Ana Paula Franco PhD in Economics - University of Michigan, Postdoctoral Scholar, Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute - Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis -
Behavioral Responses to Estate Taxation: Evidence from Taiwan
Linda Wu PhD in Economics - University College London, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics - University of Michigan -
Automatic Enrollment and Optimal Defaults: Evidence from Auto-IRAs
Thomas Willingham PhD in Economics - University of Virginia, Economist - Joint Committee on Taxation -
Incomplete and Endogenous Take-Up of Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Casey McQuillan PhD in Economics - Princeton University, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Economics Department, The Watson School of International and Public Affairs - Brown University @casey_mcquillan
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