Research Interests

Dr. O'Keefe's research has explored migration within California, health insurance coverage of employed Latinos, the effect of living wages on disposable income, the impact of manufacturing intensity on income and educational attainment in a region, and the effectiveness of enterprise zones.  She has served as Economist at the Center for Strategic Economic Research (formerly Sacramento Regional Research Institute, SRRI) where she helped develop the Prosperity Index and contributed to the Business Forecast for the Sacramento Region.  Dr. O’Keefe’s research has been published in journals including the Journal of Public Economics and the Journal of Urban Economics. 

Publications

“Publishing Pays: Economists’ Salaries Reflect Productivity” with Ta-Chen Wang, Social Science Journal, March 2013, Vol. 50, Issue 1, p 45-54.

"The Effects of Manufacturing on Educational Attainment and Real Income" with Caitlin Donaldson, Economic Development Quarterly, 2013, Vol. 27, Issue 4, p. 316.

"The Impact of Slow Growth Policies on Local Economies:  Through Housing Boom and Bust"  Applied Geography, Vol. 32, No. 1, 2012.

“Why Employed Latinos Lack Health Insurance:  A Study in California” (with Howard Greenwald and Mark DiCamillo) Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 27, No. 4, November 2005.

“The Importance of Public Sector Health Care in an Underserved Population” (with Howard Greenwald and Mark DiCamillo),  Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, Summer-Fall 2004, 27, pp. 142-157.

“Job Creation in California’s Enterprise Zones:  A Comparison Using a Propensity Score Matching Model,” Journal of Urban Economics, January 2004, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 131-150.

“Locational Choice of AFDC Recipients Within California:  A Conditional Logit Analysis,” Journal of Public Economics, 2004, Vol. 88, pp. 1521-1542.

Curriculum Vitae

CV

Professional Associations

• American Economics Association
• International House Davis, Vice President, Board of Directors, 2004-2006

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