Rebecca L. Thornton
Population Studies Center
University of Michigan
426 Thompson St
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Phone: 734-763-3720
Department of Economics
University of Michigan
213 Lorch Hall
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Phone: 734-763-9238
Academic Positions
2008-present University of Michigan, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics
2008-present University of Michigan, Research Affiliate, Population Studies Center
2006-2008 University of Michigan Population Research Center, NIA Post-doctoral Fellow
Education
2006 Ph.D., M.A. Political Economy and Government Harvard University
1998 B.S. (High Distinction) Applied Mathematics, German University of Michigan
Publications
Thornton, Rebecca. "HIV Testing, Subjective Beliefs and Economic Behavior." Journal of Development Economics, forthcoming.
Kohler, Hans-Peter and Rebecca Thornton. "Conditional Cash Transfers and HIV/AIDS Prevention: Unconditionally Promising?" World Bank Economic Review, forthcoming.
Oster, Emily and Rebecca Thornton. "Determinants of Technology Adoption: Peer Effects in Menstrual Cup Take-Up." Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming. (Online Appendix)
Godlonton, Susan and Rebecca Thornton. "Peer Effects in Learning HIV Results." Journal of Development Economics, Volume 97, Issue 1, January, Pages 118-129. 2012.
Oster, Emily and Rebecca Thornton. "Menstruation, Sanitary Products and School Attendance: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3(1): 91-100. 2011. (Online Appendix)
Kerwin, Jason, Sallie Foley Rebecca Thornton, Paulin Basinga, and Jobiba Chinkhumba. "Missing safer sex strategies in HIV Prevention: A call for further research." African Population Studies Journal. 25(2):267-285. 2011.
Thornton, Rebecca, Laurel Hatt, Erica Field, Mursaleena Islam, Freddy Solís, Martha Azuzena González Moncada. "Social Security Health Insurance for the Informal Sector in Nicaragua: A Randomized Evaluation." Health Economics, Volume 19, Issue S1, September. Pages: 181-206. 2010.
Kremer, Michael, Edward Miguel, and Rebecca Thornton. "Incentives to Learn." Review of Economics and Statistics, 91 (3):437-456. 2009.
Angotti N, Bula A, Gaydosh L, Kimchi E, Thornton R, and Yeatman S. "Increasing the Acceptability of HIV Counseling and Testing with Three C's: Convenience, Confidentiality and Credibility", Social Science & Medicine. June; 68(12):2263-70. 2009.
Thornton, Rebecca. "The Demand for, and Impact of, Learning HIV Status." American Economic Review, 98(5): 1829-63. 2008.
Obare, Francis, Peter Fleming, Philip Anglewicz, Rebecca Thornton, Francis Martinson, Agatha Kapatuka, Michelle Poulin, Susan Watkins, Hans-Peter Kohler. "Acceptance of repeat population-based voluntary counseling and testing for HIV in rural Malawi." Sexually Transmitted Infections. 85; 139-144; originally published online 16 Oct 2008; doi:10.1136/sti.2008.030320. 2009.
Jensen, Robert and Rebecca Thornton "The Consequences of Early Marriage in the Developing World." Oxfam Journal of Gender and Development. June, 2003.
Working papers
Friedman, Willa, Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, and Rebecca Thornton."Education as Liberation?." Working paper. 2012. Submitted.
Burns, Justine, Malcolm Keswell, and Rebecca Thornton. "Evaluating the Impact of Health Programmes." 2009. Submitted.
Godlonton, Susan, Alister Munthali, and Rebecca Thornton. "Circumcision, Information, and HIV Prevention." Working Paper, University of Michigan. 2012. Submitted.
Chinkhumba, Jobiba, Susan Godlonton, and Rebecca Thornton. "Demand for Medical Male Circumcision." Working Paper, University of Michigan. 2012. Submitted.
Fitzpatrick, Anne, and Rebecca Thornton. "Health Insurance for Children: Adverse Selection, Utilization, and Health Status." Working paper, University of Michigan. 2012.
Raballand, Gael, Rebecca Thornton, Dean Yang, Jessica Goldberg, Niall Keleher, and Annika Mueller. "Are Rural Road Investments Alone Sufficient to Generate Transport Flows? Lessons from a Randomized Experiment in Rural Malawi and Policy Implications." (January 1, 2011). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series, Vol., pp. -, (2011).
Batzilis, Dimitrios, Taryn Dinkelman, Emily Oster, Rebecca Thornton, and Deric Zanera. "New cellular networks in Malawi: Correlates of service rollout and effects on employment." NBER Working Paper Series No. 16616; Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2010.
Reviews/Reports
Magnoni, Barbara, Annette Lovoi, Julia Brown, and Rebecca Thornton. "Risks across Borders: A Study of the Potential of Micro-insurance Products to Help Migrants Cope with Cross Border Risks." Preliminary Report to the Multilateral Investment Fund, Inter‐American Development Bank Group. 2010.
Fitzpatrick, Anne, Barbara Magnoni, and Rebecca Thornton. "Micro-insurance Utilization in Nicaragua: A Report on Retention, Effects on Children, and Health Claims." Preliminary Report to the International Labour Organization. 2010.
Thornton, Rebecca. Book Review: Global Lessons from the AIDS Pandemic: Economic, Financial, Legal and Political Implications. By Bradly J. Condon and Tapen Sinha. Journal of Economic Literature, 47:4, 1126-1160. 2009.
Hatt, Laurel, Rebecca Thornton, Barbara Magnoni, and Mursaleena Islam. "Extending Social Insurance to Informal Sector Workers in Nicaragua via Microfinance Institutions: Results from a Randomized Evaluation." USAID/PSP-one Report. 2009.
Hatt, Laurel, Rebecca Thornton, Barbara Magnoni, and Mursaleena Islam. "Extending Health Insurance to Informal Sector Workers in Nicaragua." USAID/PSP-one Policy Brief. 2009.
Magnoni, Barbara, Benjamin, Matranga, and Rebecca Thornton. "Hand Out or Hand Up: Microfinance, Remittances and Entrepreneurship in Nicaragua." EA Consultants Technical Brief 0011107. 2007.
Miguel, Edward, Michael Kremer, and Rebecca Thornton. "Incentives to Learn: Merit Scholarships that Pay Kids to Do Well," Education Next. Spring 2005.
Popular Press
Oster, Emily and Rebecca Thornton. "Are ‘Feminine Problems’ Keeping Poor Girls Out of School?" New York Times Economix Blog. April 27, 2010.
New York Times "Pssst. Does Menstruation Keep Girls Out of School?" Nicholas Kristof. On the Ground. September 4, 2009.
Jezebel "In Developing Countries, Periods Aren’t the Problem." Anna North. 2009.
WASH news Asia Pacific "Nepal: new study says impact of menstruation on school attendance is overstated?" May 10, 2010.
Miguel, Edward. Forbes "On My Mind: Cash Talks." November 2003.