Hamzah S. Ahmed

Ph.D. Candidate in Economics · University of Southern California

Hello! My name is Hamzah Ahmed and I am a doctoral student in Economics at the University of Southern California, where I specializes in applied microeconomics with a focus on public economics and labor economics topics. My research uses causal inference methods to study how education and social policies shape outcomes for vulnerable populations, and I am particularly interested in leveraging quasi-experimental variation in public policy to uncover the mechanisms behind social inequality. Much of my work involves linking administrative datasets to evaluate the effects of funding structures, school choice, and child welfare systems.

Before starting my Ph.D., I completed my M.A. in Economics at Duke University and my B.S. in Applied and Computational Mathematics at USC, where I graduated summa cum laude.

If you're interested in discussing research ideas or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out!

hamzahah@usc.edu Curriculum Vitae

Research

Working Paper

Improving School Funding Decisions using AI: Evidence from Nevada

Simon Quach & Hamzah Ahmed

We estimate the causal effects of an AI-driven risk reclassification policy on school funding allocation and student outcomes in Nevada. Using reduced-form methods, we exploit the introduction of an algorithmic risk assessment tool that changed which schools were designated as at-risk, thereby reshaping the distribution of state funding across the public school system.

Work in Progress

When Does Removing a Child Help? Institutional Quality and the Causal Effects of Foster Care

Hamzah Ahmed

This paper studies the economic consequences of child removal on birth parents. I exploit quasi-random variation in child removal decisions to identify the causal effects of foster care placement on parental labor market outcomes and economic wellbeing.

Work in Progress

Competition or Cream-Skimming? Charter School Expansion and Public School Quality in Nevada

Hamzah Ahmed

I study the effects of charter school entry on traditional public school quality in Nevada, using administrative school-level data and quasi-experimental variation in charter school expansion. A key question is whether any observed effects on public schools reflect genuine competitive responses or compositional changes driven by selective enrollment.

Hamzah S. Ahmed

Research

Curriculum Vitae

Contact