Christopher A. Neilson
I am an economist at Yale University and an entrepreneur. My research focuses on making education markets more efficient and equitable. I co-founded ConsiliumBots, a nonprofit that helps researchers collaborate with governments to develop and evaluate technology projects, and founded TetherEducation, a GovTech startup that turns research-backed innovations into tools that make education markets work better.
My research lies at the intersection of labor economics, public economics, market design, and industrial organization. Recent work examines how market design, technology, and AI reshape education markets, with a focus on market-wide effects.
Featured Research
All research →-
Econometrica {Revise and resubmit}
Search and Biased Beliefs in Education Markets
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Econometrica {Revise and resubmit}
Parents’ Earnings and the Returns to Universal Pre-Kindergarten
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The Review of Economic Studies {Revise and resubmit}
Approximating The Equilibrium Effects of Informed School Choice
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Journal of Political Economy
College Application Mistakes and the Design of Information Policies at Scale
Forthcoming
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Econometrica
Targeted Vouchers, Competition Among Schools and the Academic Achievement of Poor Students
Forthcoming
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Journal of Political Economy
Teacher Compensation and Structural Inequality: Evidence from Centralized Teacher School Choice in Peru
Forthcoming
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American Economic Review
Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital
Published · 2026
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Journal of Political Economy
Aftermarket Frictions and the Cost of Off-Platform Options in Centralized Assignment Mechanisms
Published · 2024
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The Quarterly Journal of Economics
Smart Matching Platforms and Heterogeneous Beliefs in Centralized School Choice
Published · 2022
Recent publications
All publications →2026
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Journal of Political Economy
College Application Mistakes and the Design of Information Policies at Scale
Forthcoming
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Econometrica
Targeted Vouchers, Competition Among Schools and the Academic Achievement of Poor Students
Forthcoming
-
Journal of Political Economy
Teacher Compensation and Structural Inequality: Evidence from Centralized Teacher School Choice in Peru
Forthcoming
-
American Economic Review
Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital
Published · 2026
Initiatives
Explore initiatives →Organizations I have founded to connect research, technology and public service.
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TetherEd
Turning education and market-design research into tools for school discovery, application guidance and enrollment, working with families, schools and public education systems.
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ConsiliumBots
Bringing research, design and technology into public services, building and evaluating digital guidance with governments across education, housing and benefits.
Featured projects
All projects →-
Latin American Urban Childcare Initiative (LUCI)
Multi-city research and transparency initiative mapping access to early childhood education across Latin America
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CiemPiés
Supervised walking groups connecting nearby families, parent volunteers and school communities
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Director Libre · Tiempo para Liderar con IA
A proposed field experiment on responsible AI use, administrative work and school leadership
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Pruebas Nacionales · Smart Results Platform
National exam results, personalized guidance and policy evaluation with support from France's FID
Where the work happens
Two decades of school-choice, college-admissions and human-capital fieldwork — anchored in Santiago de Chile, Santo Domingo, Medellín and Lima, with collaborations across the Americas.
