Here's the blurb:
In this episode we talk with Patrick Button about audit studies, diversity statements, and navigating administrative roles in academia. Patrick is an Associate Professor of Economics at Tulane University and Executive Director of the Conley Alexander Institute for Data Science. His research focuses on discrimination and labor markets, and his current work uses audit field experiments to study barriers to mental health care access — examining how race, ethnicity, trans identity, and insurance type affect whether therapists respond to appointment requests.
Sebastian Tello-Trillo is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
Alex Hollingsworth is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Ohio State University. H
Henry Morris is our main editor. He is a student at the University of Virginia studying computer science and mathematics.
In this episode we discussed:
- Audit field experiments and what they reveal about discrimination in mental health care access
- How Medicaid status affects therapists' responsiveness to appointment requests
- Balancing a half-administrative, half-research role — what works and what doesn't
- AI scheduling tools like Motion and Reclaim, and why they may not work for everyone
- How to write a strong diversity statement for academic job applications
- The legislative push to ban DEI statements, and what gets lost
- When cover letters matter — and when they don't
📚 Resources mentioned:
- "How You Can Work to Improve the Climate for LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession" by Hoover, Washington & Bayer — Journal of Economic Perspectives: [link]
- Ben Harrell's working paper on conversion therapy bans, suicidality, and mental health: [link]
- Patrick's website: patrickbutton.com
🎮 Recommendations of the week:
- 📄 Patrick's rec: Read the Hoover, Washington & Bayer JEP article on improving the economics profession for Black, Latinx, and Native American economists
- 🚲 Alex's rec: Ass Savers — lightweight clip-on mud guards that keep you dry when biking in the rain
- 🍽️ Sebastian's rec: Keep your kitchen counter as clear as possible — fewer objects on the counter, better your life
