William Evans
Economics
Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics
- Poverty
- Education
- Refugees
- Youth Recidivism
- Criminal Justice
- Evidence/Evidence-Based Policy
- Policy
- Evaluation
- Impact Evaluation
- Self-Sufficiency
- Opioid related research
Video
Evans’s Latest News
Evans in the News
Medical Xpress
Researchers find doctors played a critical role in the nation's opioid crisis
July 20, 2026
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that doctors had a hand in fueling the opioid crisis by aggressively prescribing opioids to treat chronic pain. According to William Evans and Ethan Lieber, both from Notre Dame's Department of Economics and co-authors of an article published in the Journal of Human Resources, physicians began prescribing opioids to treat chronic pain more extenstively and more often in the late 1990s.
Economics, Applied (Podcast)
Prescription for Disaster: Drug Deaths in America
Audio
June 10, 2026
Host Steven Davis speaks with William Evans and Ethan Lieber about the heartbreaking rise of deaths due to drug misuse in the United States.
The New York Times
Trump Says ‘Housing First’ Failed the Homeless. Here’s What the Evidence Says.
January 07, 2026
But William N. Evans, an economist at Notre Dame, notes an offsetting rise in the number of disabled veterans, who face the highest risk of homelessness. Analyzing the effects of HUD-VASH on hundreds of localities, he and three co-authors found that “veterans’ homelessness would have risen substantially” without the expanded aid.
KCBS Radio
Virtual learning has led to a significant rise in chronic absenteeism
September 09, 2024
On top of that, new research shows how those difficulties disproportionately impact students and families experiencing poverty. For more on this, KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas were joined by Bill Evans, Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame.
WNIT | PBS Michiana
Pathway to Hope Summit | Education Counts
Video Audio
August 15, 2024
The Pathway to Hope Summit at Notre Dame brought researchers, elected officials, and foundation leaders together from across the nation to address the national opioid crisis. Attendees discussed and developed research-backed strategies to maximize the distribution of funds from the National Opioid Settlement among communities. (Featuring Bill Evans, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame)
WNDU
Notre Dame develops opioid transaction database
Video
February 28, 2024
“Understanding the root of the drug crisis is crucial for medical professionals, researchers and policymakers to mitigate its impact effectively,” said William Evans, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.
Inside Indiana Business
Notre Dame creates opioid database
February 28, 2024
The University of Notre Dame has created a public database aimed at helping researchers, policymakers and health professionals better combat the opioid crisis.
The Hill
Opinion | Solving homelessness requires more evidence and less politics
August 29, 2023
Bill Evans is the University of Notre Dame Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). David Phillips is a research professor of economics at LEO. Jim Sullivan is a professor of economics and LEO co-founder.
WSB-TV Atlanta
Pandemic widened existing heath disparities across the US
Video
January 18, 2022
“During COVID, one thing we’re interested in is what is excess mortality. So how high much higher are deaths during the COVID era than you would expect to see given historical trends?” asked Bill Evans, co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame.
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