School of Economics

Dr Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere joined the School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology in 2006 as an Assistant Professor.  She is also a research  fellow  at the Institute for the study of Labor (IZA) Bonn Germany.  Dr  Ruth  Uwaifo Oyelere holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her research interests fall into four main areas: development economics, labor economics education economics and population economics. However, most of her current and past research lie at the intersection of two or more of these area. Her recent published research in leading economic journals is focused on precisely estimating the role of policy on changes in returns to education in Venezuela and Nigeria and precisely estimating the returns to education in Nigeria. She has also published research showing that the Black-White gap in entrepreneurship in the U.S exhibits intra-race heterogeneity and  an immigrant's home country's level of development matters for entrepreneurship in the U.S. Her other published research findings show that  birthplace  matters for welfare usage in the U.S and gender differences exist in the welfare and labor market impact of democratic reform in Nigeria.

Her current joint research projects are focused on  first, estimating the direct impact of conflict on enrollment and attainment in Colombia. Second, estimating the causal impact of an increase in immigrant children in public school in  North Carolina on performance of native born children. Third, measuring the impact of  moving from public housing on student's achievement in Atlanta and finally estimating causal effects of trauma on childhood obesity in the U.S.