Mallika Thomas is a professor of economics at Cornell, in the Department of Economics and in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a labor economist, and her research focuses fundamentally on examining the causes of persistent wage inequality and the consequences of policy responses. Her most recent work examines the impact of mandated family leave policies on the wages and promotion opportunities of young women and the impact of such policies on employer-based discrimination. Thomas’ ongoing work focuses on peer effects in education among female MBA students and the causes of the gender-wage gap upon graduation, the impact of employer-provided benefits on the wages and employment of low-wage workers, and the consequences of rising wage inequality and changing wage structure on the educational investments of men and women.
Thomas holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and has received a number of fellowships during her academic career, including the University of Chicago Presidential Fellowship, the George Stigler dissertation award, and the American Economic Association dissertation fellowship. She was named the Bruno Shayegani Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in economics at Cornell University in 2017. Thomas has held previous positions at the Federal Reserve Board and at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Mallika Thomas is a professor of economics at Cornell, in the Department of Economics and in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a labor economist, and her research focuses fundamentally on examining the causes of persistent wage inequality and the consequences of policy responses. Her most recent work examines the impact of mandated family leave policies on the wages and promotion opportunities of young women and the impact of such policies on employer-based discrimination. Thomas’ ongoing work focuses on peer effects in education among female MBA students and the causes of the gender-wage gap upon graduation, the impact of employer-provided benefits on the wages and employment of low-wage workers, and the consequences of rising wage inequality and changing wage structure on the educational investments of men and women.
Thomas holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and has received a number of fellowships during her academic career, including the University of Chicago Presidential Fellowship, the George Stigler dissertation award, and the American Economic Association dissertation fellowship. She was named the Bruno Shayegani Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in economics at Cornell University in 2017. Thomas has held previous positions at the Federal Reserve Board and at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.