Kevin Mumford

Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
Kozuch Director, Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE)
Professor of Economics

Education

Ph.D. Economics, Stanford University
M.A. Economics, Stanford University
B.A. Economics, Brigham Young University

Kevin Mumford is a Professor of Economics at Purdue University. He is currently serving as the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in the Daniels School of Business and as the Kozuch Director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE). Professor Mumford’s research focuses on the evaluation of public policy in the areas of education, taxation, labor market regulation, and personal finance as well as the role of human capital in measuring national wealth. He has published research articles in many of the top journals including the American Economic Review, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Management Science, and the Journal of Econometrics and he has received research grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, the Searle Freedom Trust, and the Kinley Trust. Professor Mumford primarily teaches courses in applied econometrics. He previously served as Co-Chair of the Daniels School of Business Transition Steering Committee (2022-2024), Director of Undergraduate Programs in Economics (2015-2018), Faculty Advisor for the Economics Honors Society (2007-2018), and Faculty Advisor for the Purdue Econ Club (2007-2014).

Professor Mumford's website: kevinjmumford.com

Journal Articles

Denning, Jeffrey T., Eric Eide, Kevin J. Mumford, and Daniel Sabey (2022). "Decreasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States." Economics of Education Review vol. 90 102287. | Related Website |
Ashkanani, Ahmad, Benjamin B. Dunford, and Kevin J. Mumford (2022). "Impact of Motivation and Workload on Service Time: An Empirical Analysis of Call Center Operations." Management Science vol. 68 (9), 6697-6715. | Related Website |
Denning, Jeffrey T., Eric R. Eide, Kevin J. Mumford, Richard W. Patterson, and Merrill Warnick (2022). "Why Have College Completion Rates Increased? An Analysis of Rising Grades." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics vol. 14 (3), 1-29. | Related Website |
Dunford, Benjamin B., Kevin J. Mumford, R. Wayne Boss, Alan D. Boss, and David S. Boss (2019). "Integrated Conflict Management Systems Pay Off with Lower Levels of Formal Grievances and Lower Turnover Rates." ILR Review vol. 73 (2), 528-551. | Related Website | Download |
Li, Mingran, Wenjie Wu, Junhan Zhao, Keyuan Zhou, David Perkis, Timothy N. Bond, Kevin Mumford, David Hummels, and Yingjie Victor Chen (2018). "Career Vis: Hierarchical Visualization of Career Pathway Data." IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications vol. 38 (6), 96-105. | Related Website |
Barry, Brock E., Russell A. Long, Kevin J. Mumford, and Matthew W. Ohland (2016). "Influence of Job Market Conditions on Engineering Cooperative Education Participation." Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice vol. 142:3 | Related Website | Download |
Mumford, Kevin J. (2016). "Prosperity, Sustainability and the Measurement of Wealth." Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies vol. 3 (2), 226-234. | Related Website | Download |
Lopresti, John W. & Kevin J. Mumford (2016). "Who Benefits from a Minimum Wage Increase?" ILR Review vol. 69 (5), 1171-1190. | Related Website | Download |
Main, Joyce B., Kevin J. Mumford, and Matthew W. Ohland (2015). "Examining the Influence of Engineering Students' Course Grades on Major Choice and Major Switching Behavior." International Journal of Engineering Education vol. 31 (6A), 1468-1475. | Related Website | Download |
Miller, Benjamin M. and Kevin J. Mumford (2015). "The Salience of Complex Tax Changes: Evidence from the Child and Dependent Care Credit Expansion." National Tax Journal vol. 68 (3), 477-510.
Lovenheim, Michael F. and Kevin J. Mumford (2013). "Do Family Wealth Shocks Affect Fertility Choices: Evidence from the Housing Market Boom and Bust." Review of Economics and Statistics vol. 95 (2), 464-475. | Related Website | Download |
Arrow, Kenneth J., Partha Dasgupta, Lawrence H. Goulder, Kevin J. Mumford, and Kirsten Oleson (2013). "Sustainability and the Measurement of Wealth: Further Reflections." Environment and Development Economics vol. 18 (4), 504-516. | Related Website | Download |
Li, Mingliang, Kevin J. Mumford, and Justin L. Tobias (2012). "A Bayesian Analysis of Payday Loans and Their Regulation." Journal of Econometrics vol. 171 (2), 205-216. | Related Website | Download |
Arrow, Kenneth J., Partha Dasgupta, Lawrence H. Goulder, Kevin J. Mumford, Kirsten Oleson (2012). "Sustainability and the Measurement of Wealth." Environment and Development Economics vol. 17 (3), 317-353. | Related Website | Download |
Emerson, Tisha L. N., KimMarie McGoldrick, and Kevin J. Mumford (2012). "Women and the Choice to Study Economics." Journal of Economic Education vol. 43 (4), 349-362. | Related Website | Download |
Crump, Richard., Gopi Shah Goda, and Kevin J. Mumford (2011). "Fertility and the personal Exemption: Comment." American Economic Review vol. 101:4 1616-1628. | Related Website | Download |
Mumford, Kevin, J. and Matthew W. Ohland (2011). "Student Performance in Undergraduate Economics Courses." Journal of Economic Education vol. 42 (3), 275-282. | Related Website | Download |

Conference Proceedings

Mumford, Kevin J. (2010). "The Efficiency Cost of Child Tax Benefits." National Tax Association Proceedings of the 101st Annual Conference. vol. 201-207

Book Chapters

Mumford, Kevin J. (2012). "Measuring Inclusive Wealth at the State Level in the United States." Inclusive Wealth Report 2012 Cambridge: Cambridge University.
Arrow, Kenneth J., Partha Dasgupta, Lawrence H. Goulder, Kevin J. Mumford, and Kirsten Oleson (2010). "China, the U.S., and Sustainability: Perspectives Based on Comprehensive Wealth." Is Economic Growth Sustainable? International Economic Association.

Other Publications

Denning, Jeffrey , Eric Eide, Kevin Mumford, Richard Patterson, and Merrill Warnick (2022). "Lower Bars, Higher College GPAs: How grade inflation is boosting college graduation rates." Education Next vol. 22 (1), 56-62. | Related Website |

Mumford, Kevin J., Rich Patterson, and Anthony Yim (2023). "College Course Shutouts."
Batistich, Mary Kate, Timmothy N. Bond, Sebastian Linde, and Kevin J. Mumford (2023). "Statistical Discrimination and Optimal Mismatch in College Major Selection."
Mumford, Kevin J. (2023). "Student Selection into an Income Share Agreement."
Bond, Timothy N. & Kevin J. Mumford (2018). "Teacher Performance Pay in the United States: Incidence and Adult Outcomes." | Related Website | Download |
Mumford, Kevin J. & Katie Schultz (2015). "The Effect of Underwater Mortgages on Unemployment."
Manchester, Colleen Flaherty & Kevin J. Mumford (2013). "How Costly is Welfare Stigma? Separating Psychological Costs from Time Costs." | Download |

GPAs, College Graduation Rates are up — While our Standards are Down
More and more students are getting good grades, and more are graduating. New research from Kevin Mumford shows GPAs have been rising and college graduation rates have increased because standards have been lowered.
Full story: GPAs, College Graduation Rates are up — While our Standards are Down

Uncertainty on tariffs centers conversation at Greater Lafayette Commerce talk
Tariffs and their effects on national and Indiana commerce were the main topic of conversation as the Greater Lafayette Commerce hosted two Purdue economists for its annual fourth fiscal quarter lunch talk.
Full story: Uncertainty on tariffs centers conversation at Greater Lafayette Commerce talk
Shutting Women Out of Preferred Courses Can Hurt Their Academic Outcomes
Female-student outcomes can be improved, says Kevin Mumford, an associate dean and economics professor at Purdue’s Mitch Daniels School of Business.
Shut Out of the College Course You Wanted? For Women, There’s a High Price
A study by Kevin Mumford finds that first-year female students who didn’t get their preferred class were less likely to graduate.
Kevin Mumford on the Effectiveness of Purdue's Income Share Agreement Program
Ethan Pollack from Jobs for the Future and Kevin Mumford, an economics professor at Purdue University, dive into Purdue’s innovative “Back a Boiler” Income Share Agreement (ISA) program.
The Hechinger Report: Students can't get into basic college courses
Kevin Mumford found that when first-year students at Purdue couldn't get into a required course, they were 35 percentage points less likely to ever take it and 25 percentage points less likely to enroll in any other course in the same subject.
Students can’t get into basic college courses, dragging out their time in school
In addition to taking longer and spending more to graduate, students who are shut out of required courses often change their majors or drop out, according to research by Kevin Mumford.
Course Shutouts Impede Student Outcomes
Daniels School economics professor Kevin Mumford's research suggests that students who are unable to enroll in STEM courses their first semester are pushed out of those majors.
College Students Can Be Hindered By Course Shutouts, New Study Finds
What happens when first-year college students are unable to enroll in the courses they want? Purdue professor Kevin Mumford's research finds that this can lead to notable negative effects, especially for some groups of undergraduates.
Making Connections: Undergraduate research program goes beyond the numbers
Data is often considered impersonal and scientific, but a Purdue business school research assistantship program for undergraduate students proves that data analysis can do more than drive decisions — it can serve as a catalyst for confidence and connection.
Daniels School faculty discuss economic trends for Indiana businesses
Daniels School Dean Jim Bullard and Prof. Kevin Mumford discussed economic trends for Indiana businesses at recent luncheon.
Another round of $1,200 stimulus checks? A more targeted plan to get money to those who need it most is better option, say experts
Millions of Americans put a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks on their wish lists. But Congress has yet to decide exactly what the next version of coronavirus stimulus legislation will look like. Professor Kevin Mumford, Kozuch Director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics, comments on the issue for CNBC.
Purdue economists: Americans unemployed due to COVID-19 lockdowns could be slow to return to work
The COVID-19 pandemic has paused the United States economy and resulted in historic levels of unemployment, and it’s unclear how easily the light switch can be turned back on, say Purdue University economists who specialize in public policy and labor markets.
Purdue trustees approve naming of Krannert faculty positions and study abroad program
The Purdue University Board of Trustees has ratified two named faculty positions at Krannert and approved the naming of the school's study abroad program in honor of an alumna. Professor Justin Tobias was named the Loeb Chair in Economics, while Associate Professor Kevin Mumford was named the Kozuch Director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE). Trustees also approved a resolution of appreciation for those who recently contributed $1 million or more to the university, including Krannert alumna Nancy Handel, whose ongoing gift commitments will create the Nancy H. Handel Study Abroad Program.
Purdue has teamed up with Nationwide to develop a veterinary price index

Bucking the U.S. government’s assertion that prices for products and services at veterinary hospitals rose 15 percent from 2009 to 2013, pet insurance provider VPI-Nationwide and an economist from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management have concluded that charges for veterinary services actually fell 1 percent in that four-year period.