Maria Jose Prados, PhD

Maria Jose Prados, PhD, is a research economist at the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California. Most of her work focuses on understanding the sources and dynamics of inequality over the life cycle. She specializes in quantitative and applied economics, and her research interests have to do with inequality, health, gender, labor economics, and household finance.

Prados holds a PhD in economics from Columbia University and she completed a postdoctoral appointment at USC's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. She received her Licenciatura en Economia with highest honors from Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) and pursued graduate studies at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Prados's RCMAR project title was How Much can Education and Health Interventions Lower Old-Age Health Disparities?

Recent Work

Working Mothers’ Careers, Mental Health Suffer During COVID-19 Pandemic

While the employment shock in the present crisis initially hit both genders, the COVID-19 public health crisis could have a major impact on women, especially on their career trajectories and the well-being of working mothers.

By Maria Jose Prados, PhD and Gema Zamarro
Categorized in
- Evidence Base
The Long-Term Benefits of Quality Early Childcare for Disadvantaged Mothers and their Children

This post discusses research on the life-cycle consequences of comprehensive early childcare programs.

By Maria Jose Prados, PhD, Jorge Luis García, PhD, James J. Heckman, PhD and Duncan Ermini Leaf, PhD
Categorized in
Quantifying the Life-Cycle Benefits of a Prototypical Early Childhood Program

Heckman and his colleagues estimate the internal rate of return is 13.7 percent for the high quality early childhood education program analyzed. The associated benefit/cost ratio is 7.3.
Categorized in
The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program

The Future Americans Model (FAM) was adapted to estimate benefits from an influential early childhood program.
Categorized in
Gender Gap Persists Above Shattered Glass Ceiling

The gender pay gap not only continues after the corporate world’s glass ceiling has shattered, but evidence points to larger gender disparities at executive levels than at working-class jobs. These findings underline the importance of transparency in the processes of setting corporate compensation.

By Maria Jose Prados, PhD
Categorized in
- Evidence Base

Maria Jose Prados, PhD's Bio

Recent Work

Working Mothers’ Careers, Mental Health Suffer During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Long-Term Benefits of Quality Early Childcare for Disadvantaged Mothers and their Children

Quantifying the Life-Cycle Benefits of a Prototypical Early Childhood Program

The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program

Gender Gap Persists Above Shattered Glass Ceiling