About
Brian An is an assistant professor, director of the Master of Science in Public Policy program, and co-director of the Center for Urban Research at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. His research examines how institutional and policy design affects management processes and policy outcomes at all levels, from local and regional organizations to national governments across the globe. His policy research spans urban and housing, energy and environment, and public finance. An has consulted or worked for international and U.S. organizations, including the United Nations, the International Finance Corporation (the World Bank Group), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Enterprise Community Partners, the Brookings Institution, Fulton County Government, and the Atlanta Mayor’s Office. His work has been cited or featured in various media outlets, including the U.S. President's 2024 Economic Report, Fox News, WSB-TV, WABE FM 90.1, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Fortune Magazine, Yahoo News, Pew Charitable Trusts, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Atlanta Civic Circle. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Yonsei University. During the academic year 2025-2026, Dr. An is taking a leave of absence to serve as a Global Science and Technology Policy Fellow at KAIST in South Korea, where he also holds an adjunct professorship.
Research topics
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Public administration
- Business
- Economics
- Finance
- Public economics
- Economic growth
- Nursing
- Geography
- Accounting
- Medicine
- Regional science
- Economic system
- Psychology
- Political economy
- Development economics
Selected publications
2026-03-12
article1st authorCorrespondingSSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01
preprintOpen accessSenior authorHow Public School Districts’ Characteristics Relate to Their Students’ Postsecondary Intentions
Education Sciences · 2025-03-07
articleOpen accessIn this study, we explore characteristics of public-school districts in the state of Iowa (USA) that contribute to high school graduates’ postsecondary intentions classified as either a four-year university (public or private), a community college, professional training (identified as private two-year or other training), employment or military, or other (homemaker or unknown). To explore this topic, we utilize census, population-level data associated with all Iowa public school districts for a period of three academic years using a series of linear regression models. Findings emphasize the importance of the disciplinary climate in the overall climate of the district as an important factor that contributes to structuring students’ future intentions, with added nuance related to the total enrollment or size of the district.
Frontiers of weatherization: Evolving programmatic needs and expanding evaluation tools
Energy Research & Social Science · 2025-11-21 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessLow-income weatherization programs provide home energy efficiency upgrades to reduce utility costs, improve indoor comfort, and address the health and safety needs of income-constrained households. This review examines seventeen retrospective, outcome-focused evaluations of weatherization programs conducted over the past four decades to assess how program evaluation methods have evolved, where critical gaps remain, and how future studies can improve. This review highlights key developments in evaluation design and causal inference methods, from early pre-post comparisons to recent use of randomized encouragement designs, matching techniques, and staggered difference-in-differences estimators. Second, it evaluates the potential of new digital and physical tools such as smart meters, sensors, and other measurement and verification technologies to improve data collection for more timely and precise evaluation. Third, it identifies growing programmatic needs that evaluations must address, including persistent barriers to participation and the expansion of weatherization services to homes requiring pre-weatherization repairs. Across prior studies, we find that many evaluations remain limited by small or unrepresentative samples, selection-biased control groups, and reliance on self-reported or inconsistent data. No evaluations to date have incorporated community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches, limiting their responsiveness to local needs. The review concludes by offering recommendations for strengthening future evaluations, including strategies for incorporating CBPR, improving data access, and leveraging advanced econometric tools.
Optimal R&D Investment and Economic Growth: A Global Test of the Armey Curve
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01
preprintOpen accessSenior authorThe Asia-Pacific Education Researcher · 2025-03-07 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract Although social justice orientation is key to fostering inclusiveness in countries with long histories of immigration, few studies have empirically investigated its impact on attitudes toward immigrants in South Korea (hereafter Korea), an emerging multicultural society. This study examined the relationship between Korean students’ social justice orientation and their attitudes toward immigrants, and whether this relationship varied based on social backgrounds, including gender, parental education, and family income. With the sample of 2,351 students from 78 schools, drawn from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, and using hierarchical linear modeling the study found that a strong social justice orientation predicts positive attitudes toward immigrants. This impact is moderated by social background, with a stronger effect among less-privileged students compared to their more-privileged counterparts. These findings indicate that increasing social justice awareness among native Korean students could enhance intercultural relations and highlight the need for policy and curriculum reform, as well as the leadership role of the less-privileged students in intercultural relations.
Housing Policy Debate · 2025-09-03 · 2 citations
articleOpen access1st authorResearch Square · 2025-11-10
preprintOpen access1st authorCorrespondingSSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01
preprintOpen access1st authorCorrespondingThe Effects of Affordable Housing Development on Local Rental Markets
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01
preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 15 shared
Shui Yan Tang
Southern California University for Professional Studies
- 11 shared
Anthony W. Orlando
- 11 shared
Seva Rodnyansky
Occidental College
- 10 shared
Andrew Jakabovics
- 10 shared
Raphael W. Bostic
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- 7 shared
Simon Porcher
- 5 shared
Shui‐Yan Tang
University of Southern California
- 5 shared
Adam M. Butz
The Graduate Center, CUNY
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