Hello, I am David Alvarracin-Pillaga.
I study how policy moves people.

Quantitative researcher at the intersection of public policy and data science. I use causal inference and data visualization to turn public policy questions into evidence.

Based in Washington DC Open to Research & Data Roles

Case Studies

Public Policy Causal Inference, Difference-in-Differences

DACA: Where Do Dreams Take Dreamers? Labor Market Impacts of DACA Eligibility

Estimated DACA effect on occupation choice

Difference-in-differences analysis of 99,489 ACS records (2008–2016) reveals a statistically significant shift of DACA eligible individuals from farming/manual labor into higher-paying technical, sales, and management positions.

Economics Time Series, Data Pipeline

How Much Did New Yorkers Pay? NYC's MTA Fare Prices vs. Inflation

MTA fare base price versus inflation-adjusted value

Merged 28 years of self-collected MTA fare history with FRED CPI data to show that despite frequent small price increases, riders since 2015 paid less for real MTA base fares.