Jonathan Davis is an academic expert in crime, inequality, labor markets, and social policy. He uses field experiments to understand how to improve efficiency in markets without negotiable prices. Jonathan conducted several large-scale field experiments to test whether social programs like summer jobs programs, high-intensity tutoring programs, and structured conversations in juvenile detention centers can reduce crime and improve academic achievement. These studies show that social programs can be a cost-effective crime prevention strategy. He has also partnered with Teach For America and the United States Army to run two of the first experiments evaluating whether algorithmic matching can improve matching between workers and positions within large organizations. Jonathan also serves as a research economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research, an invited researcher in the J-PAL North America Social Policy research initiative, and an affiliated researcher at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, the University of Chicago Urban Labs, and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.
Rethinking the Benefits of Youth Employment Programs: The Heterogeneous Effects of Summer Jobs
This research paper presents the results of two randomized field experiments, which both involved offering supported summer job opportunities to different groups of young people in Chicago.
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Youth Summer Employment Report
An analysis of the effectiveness of youth summer employment with a reduction in youth involvement in violent crime.
One Summer Chicago Plus
Sara Heller and Jon Davis, in partnership with the Crime Lab, evaluated a youth jobs and mentoring program, One Summer Chicago Plus, which provided jobs to thousands of youth as part of the city’s anti-violence strategy.
