JuneMi Jennifer Kang
Ph.D. in Public Policy · Lead Impact & Evaluation Researcher, Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow
Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University
Magpie Literacy
About
I am a public policy scholar who studies whether education and social policies expand opportunity for communities historically excluded from it. I pursue that question through mixed-methods research—combining quasi-experimental evaluation, meta-analysis, and qualitative assessment of program design—to identify causal effects and clarify what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
My dissertation at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University examined equity and access in higher education through regression discontinuity designs, systematic meta-analysis, and institutional-level analysis of social capital formation. I now serve as Lead Impact & Evaluation Researcher and Strategic Data Project Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, where I apply causal inference to evaluate literacy interventions deployed in school systems nationwide.
Previously, I spent four years as Senior Research Associate at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), producing OECD joint research and regulatory reform reports for senior government officials. That experience trained me to translate micro-econometric and institutional evidence into guidance decision-makers can use—a practice I now pair with teaching. I received the Excellence in Teaching Policy Award (2023) and a 5.0/5.0 instructor rating as Instructor of Record for Critical Policy Issues at Georgia State, and I integrate undergraduates into my research through structured mentorship on administrative data and policy analysis.
- Education Policy
- Program Evaluation
- Causal Inference
- Equity & Access
- Institutions & Governance
- Mixed Methods
- Economic Mobility
PhD in Public Policy, 2025
Georgia Institute of Technology & Georgia State University
Master of Public Policy, 2016
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
B.A. with Honors in Economics & International Relations, 2014
Rhodes College
Research & Publications
My research examines whether public interventions achieve their goals for underrepresented populations. I address that question through mixed-methods scholarship—integrating quasi-experimental designs, meta-analysis, and qualitative program assessment—with a common commitment to causal identification and policy relevance. I organize this work across three streams: education and economic mobility, human capital across states, and resource equity in subnational governance.
Stream 1: Education Policy & Economic Mobility
Dissertation: Evaluating Equity and Access in Higher Education
Regression Discontinuity, Meta-Analysis, and Institutional-Level Analysis
Georgia Institute of Technology & Georgia State University, 2025. Committee: Ross Rubenstein (Chair), Tim Sass, Terri Pigott, Andrew Heiss, Juan Rogers.
Frames a three-part agenda on higher education equity: program evaluation via regression discontinuity, national evidence synthesis via meta-analysis, and institutional analysis of social capital. Emphasizes causal identification across complementary designs.
Bridging the Gap: Evaluating the Impact of Summer Success Academy Bridge Program on College Success
Kang, J. J., & Rubenstein, R. (2026). Innovative Higher Education, April 2026.
Asks whether summer bridge programs improve college persistence for at-risk students. Uses a regression discontinuity design with administrative records from Georgia State University (2012–2017) to estimate causal program effects on college success.
A Meta-Analysis of University Summer Bridge Program Effectiveness on At-Risk Students
Kang, J. J., Rubenstein, R., & Pigott, T. Manuscript in submission. Target: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
Synthesizes localized treatment effects from summer bridge evaluations nationwide, estimating pooled treatment effects and examining heterogeneity in program features and contexts. Qualitative coding of program components accompanies the quantitative synthesis.
Institutional Social Capital and Higher Education
Dissertation Chapter 3 — targeting Research in Higher Education
Extends from student-level outcomes to institutional infrastructure: how university characteristics and resource allocations shape economic connectedness, social cohesion, and civic engagement (Chetty Social Capital Atlas × IPEDS).
Stream 2: Interstate Human Capital & STEM
Does Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Empower the Under-Represented? Interstate Mobility of Human Capital in the United States
Kang, J. J., Melkers, J., Sagramsingh, R., Zou, H., & Li, H. Manuscript in submission. Target: Population Research and Policy Review.
Examines whether STEM education pathways increase interstate mobility of human capital among economically disadvantaged and underrepresented populations.
Interstate In-Migration Patterns of Economically Disadvantaged Young Adults, 2012–2019
Zou, H., Kang, J. J., Sagramsingh, R., Li, H., & Melkers, J. Manuscript in submission. Target: Ethnic and Racial Studies.
Analyzes interstate in-migration among economically disadvantaged young adults (2012–2019) to assess how geographic mobility shapes human capital accumulation and opportunity.
Stream 3: Resource Equity & Subnational Governance
Equity vs. Excellence in Crisis: Emergency Aid Allocation and Innovation Outcomes in Nonprofits and Social Enterprises
Kang, J. J., Ha, Y., & Graddy-Reed, A. Working paper. Target: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
Investigates how COVID-19 emergency aid was allocated across nonprofits and social enterprises, and whether allocation patterns advance equity or organizational performance—informed by survey data, qualitative text analysis, and logistic regression.
Consumer Choices in Social Impact: Evaluating the Drivers of Satisfaction and Loyalty in Social Entrepreneurship
Kang, J. J. Working paper. Target: Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Models consumer satisfaction and loyalty in social enterprises to identify drivers of public engagement with mission-driven organizations. First Place, APPAM Fall Conference Poster Session (2024).
Ticket to Opportunity: How Incentives Shape Access and Equity in Public Transit for Under-Represented Riders in King County
Heiss, A., & Kang, J. J. Working paper. Target: Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives.
Evaluates how subsidized fare programs shape access and travel patterns for low-income and underrepresented riders in King County, using quasi-experimental methods (propensity score weighting) applied to ORCA LIFT transit data.
Other Publications
Crossing the Chasm of Country of Origin Effects for the Newly Emerging Country
Kang, J. J., & Cho, Y. C. (2018). Journal of Marketing Thought, February 2018.
A Comparative Study of ODA Strategies of South Korea and China—A Case of Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP)
Choi, C., & Kang, J. J. (2015). KDI School of Public Policy & Management Paper, No. 15-11. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2707591
Policy & Public Impact
Before my doctorate, I spent four years as Senior Research Associate at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), advising senior officials on regulatory reform, innovation policy, and behavioral insights. I coordinated OECD joint research, presented Korea’s reform record at international forums, and authored reports adopted by national government councils. That work trained me to connect micro-econometric and institutional analysis to the questions policymakers face—translating complex empirical trends into actionable narratives I now carry into my academic research and my evaluation work at Harvard.
Policy and Government Reports
OECD & Korea Development Institute (2021). Case Studies on the Regulatory Challenges Raised by Innovation and the Regulatory Responses. OECD Publishing, Paris. doi:10.1787/8fa190b5-en
Co-author
Kim, J., Chun, S., Kang, J. J., & Nam, J. (2019). Policy Paper on the Strategic Approach to Regional Development through Regional Regulatory Sandbox. Korea Development Institute.
Co-author
Kang, J. J. (2018). Regulatory Reform Policy and Behavioral Insights in Developed Countries—A Case of Australia. Korea Development Institute.
Author
Lee, S., Lee, H., & Kang, J. J. (2017). ICT Convergence and the Protection and Utilization of Personal Information. ICT Convergence and Institutional Improvement, National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Co-author
OECD & Korea Development Institute (2017). Improving Regulatory Governance: Trends, Practices and the Way Forward. OECD Publishing, Paris. doi:10.1787/9789264280366-en
Editor-in-Chief, Joint Research
OECD & Korean Government (2017). Regulatory Policy in Korea: Towards Better Regulation. OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform, OECD Publishing, Paris. doi:10.1787/9789264274600-en
Contributor
Teaching & Mentorship
I teach public policy as a practice of reasoned judgment: students should leave my courses able to read evidence critically, write clearly, and engage disagreement with care. As Instructor of Record for PMAP 3311: Critical Policy Issues, I redesigned a writing-intensive seminar so that undergraduates could evaluate live policy debates while building the analytical and communication skills expected of future public servants.
Featured Course
PMAP 3311: Critical Policy Issues (CTW) — Georgia State University, Fall 2022
Instructor of Record · Undergraduate · Writing-intensive (CTW)
Introduced foundations of public policy to upper-level undergraduates through seminar discussion, evidence-based writing, and critical engagement with policy arguments. I redesigned the course to emphasize empathetic engagement, clear writing, and rigorous policy analysis.
Awards & Recognition
- Excellence in Teaching Policy Award (2023) — Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University
- Instructor rating: 5.0 / 5.0 with over 50% student participation
- Guest Lecturer, Cost-Benefit Analysis — KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Spring 2019
- Teaching Assistant, Quantitative Methods & Introduction to Research Methods — KDI School, 2016
I bring the same approach to research mentorship. I integrate undergraduates into my projects each year—training them to work with administrative data, understand causal identification and mixed-methods designs, and draft policy briefs that communicate findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
CV & Contact
Download my full curriculum vitae or reach out directly. I welcome inquiries about research collaborations, speaking engagements, and academic opportunities.
Contact
Email: [email protected]