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Nicolas R.

Ziebarth

Associate Professor
Policy Analysis and Management
Sloan

Curriculum Vitae

Office

2218 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall

Phone

607-255-1180

Biography

Professor Ziebarth is an economist whose research focuses on health, public and labor economics. Dr. Ziebarth studies the interaction of (social) insurance systems with labor markets and population health. Another focus of Dr. Ziebarth's work is the driving forces and implications of risky health behavior such as smoking, drinking, or overeating.

In particular, Nicolas Ziebarth is an international expert on the economics of sick leave. His sick leave research has been featured by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal or the Economist, and cited as a reason for the Healthy Families Act and the FFCRA emergency sick leave provision.

Dr. Ziebarth has won several awards for his research. According to RePEc, he ranks among the top 0.5% of young economists with less than 15 years of research activity.

At Cornell, Professor Ziebarth teaches a comparative health care system course for undergraduate students (PAM 3870), a Sloan MHA introductory course to the U.S. health care system (PAM 5570), and the second sequence of health economics for PhD students (PAM 6420).

Professor Ziebarth is Associate Director of the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. 

Selected Publications
A. Selected Publications Chronologically 
 
Arni, P., Dragone, D., Goette, L. and N. R Ziebarth (2021): “Biased Health Perceptions and Risky Health Behaviors,” Journal of Health Economics. Forthcoming.
 
Pichler, S., Wen, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2021): "Positive Health Externalities of Mandating Paid Sick Leave," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Forthcoming.
 
Pichler, S., Wen, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Has Helped to Flatten the Curve,” Health Affairs, 39(12). [Fact sheet by the Center for Equitable Growth]
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Labor Market Effects of US Sick Pay Mandates," Journal of Human Resources, 55(2): 611-659. 
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Sick Leave and Medical Leave in the United States: A Categorization and Recent Trends,” in Mathur, A. and C. Ruhm (Eds.): Paid Leave for Illness, Medical leave and Disabilities, Chapter 3, pages 31-59, first edition, AEI-Brookings Paid Leave Project, November 2020.
 
Jin, L. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Sleep, Health, and Human Capital: Evidence from Daylight Saving Time," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 170: 174-192 
 
Atal, J. P; Fang, H.; Karlsson, M.;  and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Exit, Voice, or Loyalty? An Investigation into Mandated Portability of Front-Loaded Private Health Plans," Journal of Risk & Insurance, 86(3): 697-727.
 
Guardado, J. R. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Worker Investment in Safety, Workplace Accidents, and Compensating Wage Differentials," International Economic Review, 60(1): 133-155.
 
Dolan, P., Kavetsos, G., Krekel, C., Mavridis, D., Metcalfe, R., Senik, C., Szymanski, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Quantifying the Intangible Impact of the Olympics Using Subjective Well-Being Data," Journal of Public Economics, 177: 104043. 
 
Bünnings, C., Schmitz, H., Tauchmann, H. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "The Role of Prices Relative to Supplemental Benefits and Service Quality in Health Plan Choice," Journal of Risk and Insurance, 86(2): 415-449.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2018): "Social Insurance and Health," Baltagi, B. H. and Moscone, F. [Eds.] (2018):  Health Econometrics (Contributions to Economic Analysis - Volume 294), Emerald, 1. Edition, Chapter 3 (pp: 57-84). [full text available here]
 
Karlsson, M. and N. R. Ziebarth. (2018): "Population Health Effects and Health-Related Costs of Extreme Temperatures: Comprehensive Evidence from Germany," Journal of Environmental Economics & Management, 91: 93–117.
 
Rozema, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Taxing Consumption and the Take-Up of Public Assistance: The Case of Cigarette Taxes and Food Stamps," Journal of Law and Economics, 60(1): 1-27.
 
Jones, L. E., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "US Child Safety Seat Laws: Are They Effective, and Who Complies?" Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, 36(3), 584–607. 
 
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Testing for Contagious Presenteeism and Noncontagious Absenteeism Behavior," Journal of Public Economics, 156: 14-33.
 
Pilny, A., Wübker, A., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Introducing Risk Adjustment and Free Health Plan Choice in Employer-Based Health Insurance: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Health Economics, 56: 330-351. 
 
Schmitz, H., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Does Price Framing Affect the Consumer Price Sensitivity of Health Plan Choice?" Journal of Human Resources, 52(1): 89-128.
 
Göbel, J., Krekel, C., Tiefenbach, T. and N. R. Ziebarth (2015): "How Natural Disasters Can Affect Environmental Concerns, Risk Aversion, and Even Politics: Evidence from Fukushima and Three European Countries," Journal of Population Economics, 28(4): 1137-1180.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and M. Karlsson (2014): "The Effects of Expanding the Generosity of the Statutory Sickness Insurance System," Journal of Applied Econometrics, 29(2): 208-230. 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2010): "Estimating Price Elasticities of Convalescent Care Programmes," The Economic Journal, 120(545): 816-844. 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and M. Karlsson (2010): "A Natural Experiment on Sick Pay Cuts, Sickness Absence, and Labor Costs," Journal of Public Economics, 94(11-12): 1108-1122.  
 
B. Working Papers

Marcus, J., Siedler, T. and N.R. Ziebarth (2020): “The Long-Run Effects of Subsidized Sports Club Memberships for Children on Take-Up and Physical Activity,” revise & resubmit, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.

Werbeck, A.; Wübker, A., and N. R Ziebarth (2020): “Cream-Skimming by Health Care Providers and Inequality in Health Care Access: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment,” IZA Discussion Paper No. 13100, revise & resubmit, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

Lavetti, K., DeLeire, T. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “How Do Low-Income Enrollees in the Affordable Care Act Exchanges Respond to Cost-Sharing?” NBER Working Paper No. 26430, revise & resubmit, Journal of Risk and Insurance.

Maclean, C., Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “Mandated Sick Pay: Coverage, Utilization, and Welfare Effects,” NBER Working Paper No. 26832, under review,

Hackmann, M., Pohl, V. and N.R. Ziebarth (2020): “Patient vs. Provider Incentives in Long Term Care,” under review.

Atal, J.P.; Fang, H.; Karlsson, M.; and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “Long-Term Health Insurance: Theory Meets Evidence,” NBER Working Paper No. 26870.

 
C. All Publications By Field of Research
 
Overview chapter: 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2018): "Social Insurance and Health," Baltagi, B. H. and Moscone, F. [Eds.] (2018):  Health Econometrics (Contributions to Economic Analysis - Volume 294), Emerald, 1. Edition, Chapter 3 (pp: 57-84). [full text available here] Emerald Literati Award 2019
 
 
I. SICK LEAVE
 
Refereed publications and work-in-progress:
 
Pichler, S., Wen, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Has Helped to Flatten the Curve,” Health Affairs. 39(12). 
 
Pichler, S., Wen, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Positive Health Externalities of Mandating Paid Sick Leave," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Forthcoming.
 
Maclean, C., Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “Mandated Sick Pay: Coverage, Utilization, and Welfare Effects,” NBER Working Paper 26832.
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Sick Leave and Medical Leave in the United States: A Categorization and Recent Trends,” in Mathur, A. and C. Ruhm (Eds.): Paid Leave for Illness, Medical leave and Disabilities, Chapter 3, pages 31-59, first edition, AEI-Brookings Paid Leave Project, November 2020.
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Labor Market Effects of US Sick Pay Mandates," Journal of Human Resources, 55(2): 611-659. [JHR paper available here]

Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Testing for Contagious Presenteeism and Noncontagious Absenteeism Behavior," Journal of Public Economics, 156: 14-33. [Reprint] Health Economics Science Award 2018

Susser, P. and N. R. Ziebarth (2016): "Profiling the United States Sick Leave Landscape: Presenteeism among Females," Health Services Research, 51(6): 2305-2317. 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and M. Karlsson (2014): "The Effects of Expanding the Generosity of the Statutory Sickness Insurance System," Journal of Applied Econometrics, 29(2): 208-230. 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2013): "Long-Term Absenteeism and Moral Hazard – Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Labour Economics, 42: 277-292.  
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2010): "Estimating Price Elasticities of Convalescent Care Programmes," The Economic Journal, 120(545): 816-844. Health Economics Science Award 2011 
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and M. Karlsson (2010): "A Natural Experiment on Sick Pay Cuts, Sickness Absence, and Labor Costs," Journal of Public Economics, 94(11-12): 1108-1122.  
 
Non-technical non-refereed overview and commentary on U.S. sick pay:
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “Is the US about to Abandon a Cost-Effective Tool in Containing COVID-19—Paid Sick Leave?” The Hill, December 8, 2020
 
“COVID-19 Puts a New Spotlight on Paid Sick Leave,” by Nicolas R. Ziebarth, ASHEcon Newsletter Issue 2020:2
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Labor Market Effects of U.S. Sick Pay Mandates," Upjohn Institute Employment Research Newsletter, 26(1): 4-6.
 
Pichler, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2018): "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Contagious Presenteeism and Noncontagious Absenteeism Behaviour," VOX CEPR Policy Portal, May 12, 2018
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and A. Sojourner (2016): “The Case for Mandating Paid Sick Leave in Minneapolis,” Star Tribune, April 19, 2016.
 
 
 
II. HEALTH INSURANCE 
 
Atal, J.P.; Fang, H.; Karlsson, M.; and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): “Long-Term Health Insurance: Theory Meets Evidence,” NBER Working Paper No. 26870
 
Hackmann, M., Pohl, V. and N.R. Ziebarth (2020): “Patient vs. Provider Incentives in Long Term Care,” under review
 
 
Lavetti, K., DeLeire, T. and N.R. Ziebarth (2020): "How Do Low-Income Enrollees in the Affordable Care Act Exchanges Respond to Cost-Sharing?," NBER Working Paper 26430, revise & resubmit.
 
Atal, J. P; Fang, H.; Karlsson, M.;  and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Exit, Voice, or Loyalty? An Investigation into Mandated Portability of Front-Loaded Private Health Plans," Journal of Risk & Insurance, 86(3): 697-727. [JRI paper available here]  
 
Bünnings, C., Schmitz, H., Tauchmann, H. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "The Role of Prices Relative to Supplemental Benefits and Service Quality in Health Plan Choice," Journal of Risk and Insurance, 86(2): 415-449. [JRI paper II available here]
 
Pilny, A., Wübker, A., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Introducing Risk Adjustment and Free Health Plan Choice in Employer-Based Health Insurance: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Health Economics, 56: 330-351. [JHE paper available here]  
 
Schmitz, H., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Does Price Framing Affect the Consumer Price Sensitivity of Health Plan Choice?" Journal of Human Resources, 52(1): 89-128.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2014): "Assessing the Effectiveness of Health Care Cost Containment Measures: Evidence from the Market for Rehabilitation Care," International Journal of Health Economics & Management, 14(1): 41-67.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2010): "Estimating Price Elasticities of Convalescent Care Programmes," The Economic Journal, 120(545): 816-844. Health Economics Science Award 2011 
 
 
III. DISABILITY INSURANCE AND WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS  
 
McVicar, D., Wilkins, R. and N.R. Ziebarth: "Four Decades of Disability Benefit Policies and the Rise and Fall of Disability Recipiency Rates in Five OECD Countries," In: Besharov, D. and D. Call (2020): Labor Activation in a Time of High Unemployment: Encouraging Work while Preserving the Social Safety Net, Oxford University Press, 1. Edition, Chapter 7, forthcoming. [Chapter 7 available here]
 
Guardado, J. R. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Worker Investment in Safety, Workplace Accidents, and Compensating Wage Differentials," International Economic Review, 60(1): 133-155. [free "view only" version available here]  
 
Burkhauser, R. V, Daly, M. C. and N. R. Ziebarth (2016): "Protecting Working-Age People with Disabilities: Experiences of Four Industrialized Nations," Journal of Labour Market Research (Zeitschrift f. Arbeitsmarktforschung), 49(4): 367-386.
 
 
IV. HEALTH BEHAVIOR 
 
Marcus, J., Siedler, T. and N.R. Ziebarth (2020): “The Long-Run Effects of Subsidized Sports Club Memberships for Children on Take-Up and Physical Activity,” revise & resubmit.
 
Arni, P., Dragone, D., Goette, L. and N. R Ziebarth (2020): “Biased Health Perceptions and Risky Health Behaviors,” revise & resubmit.

Jin, L. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Sleep, Health, and Human Capital: Evidence from Daylight Saving Time," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 170: 174-192 [JEBO paper available here]  
 
Dolan, P., Kavetsos, G., Krekel, C., Mavridis, D., Metcalfe, R., Senik, C., Szymanski, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Quantifying the Intangible Impact of the Olympics Using Subjective Well-Being Data," Journal of Public Economics, 177: 104043. 
 
Guardado, J. R. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Worker Investment in Safety, Workplace Accidents, and Compensating Wage Differentials," International Economic Review, 60(1): 133-155. [free "view only" version available here ]    
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2018): "Biased Lung Cancer Risk Perceptions: Smokers are Misinformed," Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik (Special Issue: Empirical Health Economics), 238(5): 395–421. 
 
Kvasnicka, M., Siedler, T. and N. R. Ziebarth (2018): "The Health Effects of Smoking Bans: Evidence from German Hospitalization Data," Health Economics, 27(11): 1738-1753. [HEC paper available here]  
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2018): "Lung Cancer Risk Perception Biases," Preventive Medicine, 110: 16-23.
 
Rozema, K. and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "Taxing Consumption and the Take-Up of Public Assistance: The Case of Cigarette Taxes and Food Stamps," Journal of Law and Economics, 60(1): 1-27. 
 
Jones, L. E., and N. R. Ziebarth (2017): "US Child Safety Seat Laws: Are They Effective, and Who Complies?" Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, 36(3), 584–607. [available here] Raymond Vernon Memorial Award 2017
 
 
Jones, L. E. and N. R. Ziebarth (2016): "Successful Scientific Replication and Extension of Levitt (2008): Child Seats Are Still No Safer than Seat Belts," Journal of Applied Econometrics, 31(5): 920-928.
 
Wagner, G. G. and N. R. Ziebarth (2016): "Inevitable? Doping Attitudes among Berliners in 2011: The Role of Socialist State Socialisation and Athlete Experience," European Journal of Public Health, 26(3): 520-522.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. and M. M. Grabka (2009): "In Vino Pecunia? The Association Between Beverage-Specific Drinking Behavior and Wages," Journal of Labor Research, 30(3): 219-244.
 
 
V. ENVIRONMENT & POPULATION HEALTH  
 
Dahl, C.M., Karlsson, M.; Sørensen, E.N., and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Cold and Mortality in a Cross-Sectional and Lifecycle Perspective: Evidence from Competing Models," mimeo.
 
Jin, L. and N. R. Ziebarth (2020): "Sleep, Health, and Human Capital: Evidence from Daylight Saving Time," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 170: 174-192. [JEBO available here ]  
 
Dolan, P., Kavetsos, G., Krekel, C., Mavridis, D., Metcalfe, R., Senik, C., Szymanski, S. and N. R. Ziebarth (2019): "Quantifying the Intangible Impact of the Olympics Using Subjective Well-Being Data," Journal of Public Economics, 177: 104043. 
 
Karlsson, M. and N. R. Ziebarth. (2018): "Population Health Effects and Health-Related Costs of Extreme Temperatures: Comprehensive Evidence from Germany," Journal of Environmental Economics & Management, 91: 93–117. [JEEM paper available here]  
 
Göbel, J., Krekel, C., Tiefenbach, T. and N. R. Ziebarth (2015): "How Natural Disasters Can Affect Environmental Concerns, Risk Aversion, and Even Politics: Evidence from Fukushima and Three European Countries," Journal of Population Economics, 28(4): 1137-1180. FEEM Award 2014 by the European Economic Association 
 
 
VI. HEALTH MEASUREMENT, HEALTH INEQUALITY & HEALTH CARE SPENDING  
 
French, E. , McCauley, J. , Aragon, M., Bakx, P. , Chalkley, M,  Chen, S. H., Christensen, B. J., Chuang, H.,Cote-Sergent, A.,  De Nardi, M., Fan, E., Echevin, D., Geoffard, P.-Y.,  Gastaldi-Ménager, C., Gørtz, M., Ibuka, Y., Jones, J. B.,  Kallestrup-Lamb, M., Karlsson, M., Klein, T. J., de Lagasnerie, G., Michaud, P. , O’Donnell, O., Ohtsu, Y. , Rice, N., Skinner, J. S., van Doorslaer, E., Ziebarth, N. R. and E. Kelly (2017): "Data from the US and Eight other Developed Countries Show that End-of-Life Medical Spending is Lower than Previously Reported," Health Affairs, 36(7): 1211-1217.
 
Karlsson, M., Klein, T. and N. R. Ziebarth (2016): "Skewed, Persistent and High before Death: Medical Spending in Germany," Fiscal Studies (Special Issue: Medical Spending around the Developed World), 37(3-4): 527-559. 
 
 
 
Frick, J. R. and N. R. Ziebarth (2013): "Welfare-Related Health Inequalities: Does the Choice of Measure Matter?" European Journal of Health Economics, 14(3): 431-442.
 
Ziebarth, N. R. (2010): "Measurement of Health, Health Inequality, and Reporting Heterogeneity," Social Science & Medicine, 71(1): 116-124.
 
 
MEDIA
 

“Welcome to the Pandemic Cliff,” by Nick Martin, The New Republic, December 1, 2020

“Millions of Workers Poised to Lose Access to Paid Leave as Virus Spikes,” by Eleanor Mueller, Politico Nov 29, 2020

“COVID-19 Sick Leave Likely Prevented Thousands Of Cases,” by Emily Peck, The Huffington Post, Nov 25, 2020

“America Chose Sickness, and Lost the Economy,” by Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, November 2, 2020

“Krankenversicherung: Bitte hinten anstellen--Eine neue Studie belegt: Kassenpatienten müssen doppelt so lange auf einen Arzttermin warten wie Privatversicherte,” by Lucia Heisterkamp, Die Zeit, June 24 2020.

“Terminvergabe bei Fachärzten: Privatpatienten wurden bevorzugt,” by Kim Björn Becker, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (title page), June 28, 2020

“With Unmandated Sick Leave, U.S. Economy is More Vulnerable to Pandemics,” by Harriet Torry, The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2020
 
“Coronavirus Brings a New Legislative Push for Paid Sick Leave,” by Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, March 10, 2020

“Why the U.S. Urgently Needs Paid Sick Leave,” by Judy Stone, Forbes, March 10, 2020

“Coronavirus Sick Leave: Walmart, McDonald’s, Olive Garden add COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Policies,” by Jessica Guynn and Kelly Tyko, USA Today, March 9, 2020

“Workers without Paid Sick Leave Confront Coronavirus,” by Charlotte Kesl, The Washington Post, March 9, 2020
 
“What the World has Learned about Facing COVID-19,” The Economist, March 5, 2020
 
 
“Koch-backed group fights paid sick leave laws as flu sweeps US,” by Renée Feltz, The Guardian, February 11, 2018
 
 
“The High Costs of Not Offering Paid Sick Leave,” by Austin Frakt, New York Times, October 31, 2016
 
MORE MEDIA AND MORE PUBLICATIONS
 
 
Note: All articles are the sole copyright of the respective publishers. Materials are provided for educational use only. Downloading of marterials constitutes an agreement that the materials are for personal use only.  
Courses Taught
  • PAM 3780: Sick Around the World? Comparing Health Care Systems Around the World (Undergraduate Level)
  • PAM 5570: Health Care Organizations (Sloan MHA Program)
  • PAM 6420: Health Economics II (PhD Program)
Education

Ph.D., Economics, TU Berlin/DIW Berlin, 2011
M.Sc., Economics, TU Berlin, 2006
M.Sc., Business Studies, TU Berlin, 2006
B.Sc., Economics, HU Berlin, 2003
B.Sc., Business and Economics Education, HU Berlin, 2003

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