Seth Richards-Shubik is an Associate Research Professor of Economics at Johns Hopkins University.  His research interests are in health economics and applied econometrics, particularly in medical service markets, network models, and health inequality.  His current research studies optimal contracting for medical services and referrals for specialty care, along with methods for estimating the production of health and testing for spillovers in networks.  Professor Richards-Shubik received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and has an MPA from Syracuse University and a BA from Harvard University.  Prior to joining Hopkins, he was on the faculties of Carnegie Mellon University and Lehigh University.

Working papers

• “Learning and Efficiency in the Market for Physician Referrals” (with Ian McCarthy), January 2025.

In Progress

• “Do Stars Need More Than Innate Ability?  Testing for Spillovers in the Network of Economists” (with Lina Zhang)
• “Multidimensional Health Capital and the Production of Health” (with Tian Liu and Nirav Mehta)
• “Optimal Contracting with Multitasking Agents” (with Nirav Mehta)

Resting Papers

• “Contagion in the European Sovereign Debt Crisis” (with Brent Glover), NBER Working Paper 20567, latest version: May 2021.
• “Health and Work Capacity of Older Adults: Estimates and Implications for Social Security Policy” (with David M. Cutler, Ellen Meara, and Wilson F. Powell, III), latest version: December 2014. (PDF)

Economics Journals and Book Chapters

Gaynor, Martin, Nirav Mehta, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2023.
“Optimal Contracting with Altruistic Agents: Medicare Payments for Dialysis Drugs.”
American Economic Review, 113(6): 1530-71. (accepted PDF, appendix)

Anderson, Katharine A., and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2022.
“Collaborative Production in Science: An Empirical Analysis of Coauthorships in Economics.”
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 104(6): 1241-55. (accepted PDF, appendix)

Richards-Shubik, Seth, Mark S. Roberts, and Julie M. Donohue. 2022.
“Measuring Quality Effects in Equilibrium.”
Journal of Health Economics, 83: #106216. (accepted PDF, appendix)
(Earlier version: NBER Working Paper 28817, May 2021.)

Richards-Shubik, Seth. 2020.
“Application and Computation of a Flexible Class of Network Formation Models.”
In The Econometrics of Networks (Advances in Econometrics, vol. 42),
edited by Áureo de Paula, Elie Tamer, and Marcel-Cristian Voia, 111-142. (accepted PDF)

de Paula, Áureo, Seth Richards-Shubik, and Elie Tamer. 2018.
“Identifying Preferences in Networks with Bounded Degree.”
Econometrica, 86(1): 263-288. (accepted PDF, appendix)

Chung, Andrea P., Martin Gaynor, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2017.
“Subsidies and Structure: The Lasting Impact of the Hill-Burton Program on the Hospital Industry.”
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 99(5): 926-943.
(Earlier version: NBER Working Paper 22037, May 2021.)

Goldring, Thomas, Fabian Lange, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2016.
“Testing for Changes in the SES-Mortality Gradient When the Distribution of Education Changes Too.”
Journal of Health Economics, 46(March): 120-130. (accepted PDF)

Richards-Shubik, Seth. 2015.
“Peer Effects in Sexual Initiation: Separating Demand and Supply Mechanisms.”
Quantitative Economics, 6(3): 663-702. (accepted PDF, appendix)

Horrace, William C., Seth Richards-Shubik, and Ian A. Wright. 2015.
“ Expected Efficiency Ranks from Parametric Stochastic Frontier Models.”
Empirical Economics, 48(2): 829-848.

Cutler, David M., Ellen Meara, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2012.
“Induced Innovation and Social Inequality: Evidence from Infant Medical Care.”
Journal of Human Resources, 47(2): 456-492.

Horrace, William C., and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2012.
“A Monte Carlo Study of Ranked Efficiency Estimates from Frontier Models.”
Journal of Productivity Analysis, 38(2): 155-165.

Cutler, David M., Fabian Lange, Ellen Meara, Seth Richards-Shubik, and Christopher J. Ruhm. 2011.
“Rising Educational Gradients in Mortality: The Role of Behavioral Risk Factors.”
Journal of Health Economics, 30(6): 1174-87.

David, Guy, Sara Markowitz, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2010.
“The Effects of Pharmaceutical Marketing and Promotion on Adverse Drug Events and Regulation.”
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2(4): 1-25.

Health Services Research and Medical Journals

Metes, Ilinca D., Lingshu Xue, Chung-Chou H. Chang, Haiden A. Huskamp, Walid F. Gellad, Wei-Hsuan Lo-Ciganic, Niteesh K. Choudhry, Seth Richards-Shubik, Hasan Glucu, and Julie M. Donohue. 2019.
“Association between Physician Adoption of a New Oral Anti-Diabetic Medication and Medicare and Medicaid Drug Spending.”
BMC Health Services Research, 19: #703.

Donohue, Julie M., Hasan Guclu, Walid F. Gellad, Chung-Chou H. Chang, Haiden A. Huskamp, Niteesh K. Choudhry, Ruoxin Zhang, Wei-Hsuan Lo-Ciganic, Stefanie P. Junker, Timothy Anderson, and Seth Richards-Shubik. 2018.
“Influence of Peer Networks on Physician Adoption of New Drugs.”
PLoS ONE, 13(10): e0204826.

Anderson, Timothy S., Wei-Hsuan Lo-Ciganic, Walid F. Gellad, Rouxin Zhang, Haiden A. Huskamp, Niteesh K. Choudhry, Chung-Chou H Chang, Seth Richards-Shubik, Hasan Guclu, Bobby Jones, and Julie M. Donohue. 2018.
“Patterns and Predictors of Physician Adoption of New Cardiovascular Drugs.”
Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation, 6(1): 33-40.

Cuellar, Alison, Amelia M. Haviland, Seth Richards-Shubik, Anthony T. LoSasso, Alicia Atwood, Hilary Wolfendale, Mona Shah, and Kevin Volpp. 2017.
“Boosting Workplace Wellness Programs with Financial Incentives.”
American Journal of Managed Care, 23(10): 294-300.

Lo-Ciganic, Wei-Hsuan, Walid F. Gellad, Haiden A. Huskamp, Niteesh K. Choudhry, Chung-Chou H. Chang, Ruoxin Zhang, Bobby L. Jones, Hasan Guclu, Seth Richards-Shubik, and Julie M. Donohue. 2016.
“Who Were the Early Adopters of Dabigatran? An Application of Group-Based Trajectory Models.”
Medical Care, 54(7): 725-732.

Paltiel, A. David, Einar Ingvarsson, Donald K. K. Lee, Richard L. Leff, Richard J. Nowak, Kurt D. Petschke, Seth Richards-Shubik, Ange Zhou, Martin Shubik, and Kevin C. O’Connor. 2015.
“Demographic and Clinical Features of Inclusion Body Myositis in North America.”
Muscle & Nerve, 52(4): 527-533.

Meara, Ellen R., Seth Richards, and David M. Cutler. 2008.
“The Gap Gets Bigger: Changes in Mortality and Life Expectancy by Education, 1981-2000.”
Health Affairs, 27(2): 350-360.

Other Social Science Journals

Richards, Seth. 2005.
“A Social Network Analysis into the David Kelly Tragedy.”
Connections, 26(2): 25-32.