Regina Seo

Lead Economist & Lecturer
School of Education and Social Policy
Northwestern University

I am an applied microeconomist working at the intersection of labor economics and health economics. My research examines inequities by race and gender, with a focus on care work, paid leave, disability, and wage policy.

I am a Lead Economist at the Research and Innovation for Social and Economic Inclusion (RISEI) Lab and a Lecturer for the Master's of Science in Social and Economic Policy (MSSEP) at the School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University. I am also a Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute's Worker Power and Economic Security program.

regina.seo@northwestern.edu · LinkedIn

Research

Applied Microeconomics Labor Economics Health Economics

Journal Articles

The Labor Market Effects of Subminimum Wage Elimination: Evidence from a National Analysis

with M. Yin and H. Vu — Labour Economics 100: 102884, 2026
Gender Wage Gap, Gender Norms, and Long-Term Care: A Theoretical Framework

with I. González and M. S. Floro — Feminist Economics 28(3): 84–113, 2022
How Do Female Labor Force Participation Rates Change During Episodes of Globalization and Marginalization? Evidence from 1990 to 2019

with B. G. Gunter and F. Tasneem — International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies 17(1): 1–12, 2021
Experiences of Learning Flow Among Korean Adolescents

with K. Choe, Y. Kang and B. Yang — Learning and Individual Differences 39: 180–185, 2015

Working Papers

Workforce Policy and Youth with Disabilities: Evidence from WIOA

with M. Yin and D. Guerrero
What Explains the Disability Pay Gap? Revisiting the Role of Pre-market Skills

with M. Yin and A. Orellana — Under review
Effects of Minimum Wage Increases on Labor Market Outcomes of People with Disabilities

with M. Yin
Caring for Parents and Spouses: How Paid Leave Shapes Caregivers' Work and Well-Being

Under review
Fostering Inclusion at Scale: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools Program in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries

with M. Yin

Policy Work

Reports

Global Evaluation of the Special Olympics Unified Champions School Program in Six Countries

with M. Yin, 2024
Valuing Rural Minority Communities: Inclusive Growth, Broadband, and Leadership

with M. Henry-Nickie — Brookings Institution, 2022
Black-Owned Businesses in U.S. Cities: The Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities for Prosperity

with A. Perry, A. Barr, C. Romer, and K. Broady — Brookings Institution, 2022
Creating Community-Determined Rural Policies: How Native Women Transform Challenges into Impactful Social Entrepreneurship

with M. Henry-Nickie — Brookings Institution, 2022
Erasing Stigmas Through Community-Directed Change

with M. Henry-Nickie — Brookings Institution, 2022
Empowering the Gullah/Geechee Economy

with M. Henry-Nickie — Brookings Institution, 2022
Broadband is the Economic Development Tool of the 21st Century: How Broadband Opens Doors for a Majority-Hispanic Boomtown in West Texas

with M. Henry-Nickie — Brookings Institution, 2022

Teaching

Health Economics and Policy Northwestern University, 2023–2025
Care Work and the Economy (Guest Lectures) American University, 2020–2021

Advising

Academic advisor for 20 students in the Master's of Science in Social and Economic Policy program at Northwestern University, 2024–2026.

CV

Education

Ph.D. in Economics — American University, 2017–2023 Dissertation: Three Essays in Labor and Health Inequities by Race and Gender
M.A. in Economics — Georgetown University, 2014–2015
B.A. in Economics and Mathematics summa cum laude — Emory University, 2010–2014 Honors Thesis: Intergenerational Income Mobility of South Korea

Selected Fellowships & Awards

Presidential Management Fellows Program Finalist, 2023
Global Studies International Award for Excellence, 2021
Fred and Barbara Bergmann Dissertation Award, 2021
Full Tuition and Graduate Assistantship, American University, 2017–2021
Full Tuition and Graduate Fellowship, Georgetown University, 2014–2015

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