I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the University of Auckland's Economics Department.My interests lie in labo(u)r economics and the economics of education.Please feel welcome to contact me at sam.stemper@auckland.ac.nz. Here is my CV. Economic Shocks and Skill Acquisition: Evidence from a National Online Learning Platform at the Onset of COVID-19 (with Ina Ganguili, Jamal I. Haidar, Asim Ijaz Khwaja, and Basit Zafar). Labour Economics, Vol. 90, 2024.[ Draft | NBER WP 29921 | Published Version ] How do economic shocks affect individuals’ decisions to acquire new skills? Data from a major online learning platform in Saudi Arabia demonstrates that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, older workers focused on developing telework skills, while younger workers pursued new technical and occupation-specific skills.Trends in International Assessments and Outcomes in Adulthood. Economics of Education Review, Vol. 109, 2025.[ Draft | Published Version ] PISA and TIMSS provide different measures of adolescent skills across countries and over time:TIMSS focusing on curricular knowledge and PISA on broader problem-solving abilities. Across cohorts, PISA scores are more strongly associated with educational attainment and income in adulthood.College Access and Notability in the United States.R&R at Regional Science and Urban Economics[ Draft ] How does access to higher education affect who ultimately becomes notable or famous? Historically, U.S. counties selected for new colleges saw large, persistent increases in notability rates. Doing More with Less: School Management and Education Production. [ Draft ] How much does top management matter for student learning? Analysis of over 18,000 superintendents shows they account for about one-fourth of differences in district learning rates, improving performance through operational changes rather than spending.3G Internet and Human Capital Development (with Ronak Jain).[ Draft | Media Coverage: Boston Globe Magazine, 1News (NZ), Harvard CID, UoA ]How does access to mobile internet affect student learning? Linking geospatial 3G coverage to 2.5 million test scores from 82 countries shows that access boosted smartphone use but reduced math, reading, and science achievement. Budget Hawks on the Board: School Boards, Education Finance, and Student Achievement.[ Draft Under Revision ] Information and the Valuation of Local School Characteristics[ Draft Under Revision ] 