Hi, I'm Toufiq.
I am an Economics PhD candidate at Georgia State University. My research leverages modern econometric tools to address questions relevant to health, education, and labor policies.
Prior to joining Georgia State University, I served as an Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Bangladesh.
I am on the 2024-25 job market.
Click here to view my CV.
Research
Working Papers:
Effects of Losing Medicaid on Body Weight and Health Behaviors (Job Market Paper) [Under Review]
Tennessee’s 2005 Medicaid reform terminated public health insurance coverage for approximately 170,000 childless adults. Leveraging this policy-induced variation, I study the impact of losing public health insurance on body weight and related health behaviors. Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 1997 to 2010, I estimate comparative case study models that compare Tennessee’s outcomes before and after the reform with those of data-driven control groups. The preferred synthetic difference-in-differences estimates suggest that the reform increased Body Mass Index by 0.37 points and the overweight or obesity prevalence (BMI≥25) by 4% among Tennessean childless adults. Examining health behaviors, I find evidence supporting weight gain through reduction in moderate physical activity participation (e.g., brisk walking, gardening) and vegetable consumption.
Unlocking Potential: The Impacts of North Carolina's AP Exam Fee Waivers (with Cade Lawson)
We study the effects of North Carolina's Advanced Placement (AP) exam fee waivers on AP course enrollment, exam taking, and exam performance. Using course-level administrative data and exploiting within student variation, we identify the causal effects while overcoming several limitations of prior research. We find no evidence that fee waivers increased AP enrollment. However, fee waivers increased the likelihood of an AP course leading to an exam by 4 percentage points, with no negative impact on pass rates. The gains were significantly higher among minority and economically disadvantaged students, reducing the racial and socioeconomic gap in AP exam participation by one-third. A back-of-the-envelope cost-benefit analysis suggests that the implied tuition savings alone exceed the cost of subsidizing AP exams.
Selected Work in Progress:
How Incentives Shape Teacher Effort: Lessons from a Piece-rate Bonus Program
I study the effects of piece-rate teacher bonus program on student outcomes. Beginning 2015-16 School year, North Carolina annually rewards an Advanced Placement (AP) teacher $50 bonus for each student in her class passing the corresponding AP exam, with total bonuses capped at $3,500 ($2,000 in SY 2015-16 only). Using the program features, I develop simple economic model, which implies that the piece-rate structure and the cap provide disproportionate incentives to teachers with varying baseline student number and aptitude. Leveraging course-level student-teacher linked data from North Carolina and using both teacher fixed effects and difference-in-differences models, I provide evidence supporting the model implications. My main result suggests that the bonus program significantly increased pass rate among students assigned to teachers unconstrained by the bonus cap.
Eviction in the Gig Economy
Gig work is often taken up as a secondary profession to buffer against financial shocks. This is likely to improve timely rent payments—the leading cause of eviction filings in the United States. This paper leverages UberX/Lyft entries to major US cities to examine the effects of Gig opportunities on eviction risk.
Teaching
Instructor of Record, Georgia State University
- ECON2105: Principles of Macroeconomics (Fall 2024)
- ECON8220: Human Resources and Labor Markets (Spring 2025)
Teaching Assistant, East West University, Bangladesh
Mathematics for Business and Economics I & II, Business Finance (2011-2013)
Education
Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA
Ph.D. in Economics (2025, Expected)
Dissertation Title: Essays on Health and Education Policies
Dissertation Committee: Daniel Kreisman (Chair), Jonathan Smith, Keith Teltser, and Steven W. Hemelt.