Ben Graham

Working Papers

“COVID Impacts on FAFSA Completion: PA Outcomes in an Environment of School Closures and Counselors”

       with Shannon Mudd. In preparation for journal submission.

“Effects of Private Equity-Backed Physician Consolidation in Emergency Medicine on Prices and Outcomes”,

      with Loren Adler and Vani Agarwhal. In preparation for journal submission.

“Research and Development Intensity and the Inflation Reduction Act’s Prescription Drug Provisions”,

     with Richard G. Frank. Brookings Working Paper, September 2025. In preparation for journal submission.

Works in Progress

The No Surprises Act and Commercial Insurer Payment Dynamics

      with Loren Adler, Samantha Crow, and Matthew Fiedler.

International Comparison of Supply-Side Controls for Essential Narcotic and Stimulant Medicines

      with Marta Wosińska.

Effects of Private Equity-Backed Physician Consolidation in Urology and Dermatology on claim prices and outcomes

     with Loren Adler.

Opioid Use Disorder Medicines: Supply Chain Dynamics and Regulatory Vulnerability

      with Marta Wosińska.

Other Publications

“Enhancing the Safety Net for Elderly and Disabled Adults.” 

      with Wendell Primus, Jack Smalligan, and Chloe Zilkha. Brookings Institution, October 2026.

“By Regulatory Design: Geopolitical Concentration in the US morphine Supply Chain.”

     with Marta Wosińska. Health Affairs Forefront, July 2026.

“Comments on DEA’s Proposed Rule on Manufacturing and Procurement Quotas.” 

     with Marta Wosińska. Comment letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration, July 2026.

“Bound by Quota: Drug Shortage Vulnerability for Schedule II Medicines.”

     with Marta Wosińska. Brookings Institution, February 2026.

“Insufficient Financing Should Not Provoke Dramatic Changes to Social Security.” 

     with Wendell Primus, Chloe Zilkha, and Sonia Jain. Brookings Institution, January 2026.

“Improving Social Security for Children and Young Adults in Need.”

     with Wendell Primus and Vani Agarwhal. Brookings Institution, September 2025.

“Fixing Social Security: Blueprint for a Bipartisan Solution.” (Research Assistance Acknowledged In)

    Wendell Primus, Tara Watson, and Jack Smalligan. Brookings Institution, February 2025.

Senior Theses

“Prime Opportunity: Amazon’s Expansion and Teen Education Attainment”

    Economics. Advisor: Anne Preston. Holland Hunter ’43 Thesis Prize.

    Abstract. Amazon’s distribution network has expanded rapidly and offered employment with compensation significantly greater

    than competitors in local low-skill labor markets. I investigate the effect of this disruption on local high school completion rates and

    community college enrollment. Over multiple specifications, I find evidence that high school completion rates significantly increase

    as a result of Amazon’s expansion, especially among females and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. I also find evidence

    that community college enrollment significantly increases, again driven by females.

“Shapley Variance Decomposition and Variable Importance”

     Mathematics. Advisor: Lynne Butler.

     Abstract. I present a technique which employs Shapley Values from cooperative game theory to quantify the contribution of

      individual regressors towards the accuracy of a linear regression model. I provide proofs that the Shapley Value satisfies its axioms,

      and several additional desirable properties. I demonstrate that Shapley Variance Decomposition satisfies nearly all requirements for a

      useful variable importance measure, and that other measures fail in this regard. Finally, I use real and simulated data to demonstrate

      methods and phenomena discussed. To do so, I develop a program in R which is more flexible than other publicly available packages.