Matthew Johnson

OFFICE

Matthew Johnson is an Associate Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. His research seeks to understand how different regulations, policies and shifts in the labor market affect working conditions in the United States. Much of his current work focuses on the estimating the effects of health and safety regulations on firms and workers, and investigating what factors influence compliance with these regulations. He received his PhD in economics from Boston University, and his BA in economics and history from the University of California, Berkeley.

Here is a link to his CV. For a list of his published and ongoing papers, please visit his personal website.

Innovation and the Enforceability of Noncompete Agreements. (Principal Investigator), awarded by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2023 - 2025
Has the Changing Media Landscape Affected Labor Union Organizing? Evidence from Newspaper Closures. (Principal Investigator), awarded by Russell Sage Foundation, 2023 - 2025
The Effect of Government Safety Enforcement on Workers: Evidence from Linked Employer-Employee Data. (Principal Investigator), awarded by Washington Center for Equitable Growth, 2021 - 2023
Do Noncompete Agreements Make Noncompetitive Labor Markets?. (Principal Investigator), awarded by Russell Sage Foundation, 2019 - 2022

Charles, K. K., M. S. Johnson, and N. Tadjfar. “Trade Competition and the Decline in Union Organizing: Evidence from Certification Elections.” Journal of Labor Economics 44, no. 1 (January 1, 2026): 83–117. https://doi.org/10.1086/732302.
Johnson, M. S., K. Lavetti, and M. Lipsitz. “The Labor Market Effects of Legal Restrictions on Worker Mobility.” Journal of Political Economy 133, no. 9 (September 1, 2025): 2735–93. https://doi.org/10.1086/736217.
Johnson, M. S., D. Schwab, and P. Koval. “LEGAL PROTECTION AGAINST RETALIATORY FIRING IMPROVES WORKPLACE SAFETY.” Review of Economics and Statistics 106, no. 5 (September 6, 2024): 1236–53. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_01225.
Viswanathan, K., M. S. Johnson, and M. W. Toffel. “Do safety management system standards indicate safer operations? Evidence from the OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety standard.” Safety Science 171 (March 1, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106383.
Johnson, M. S., D. I. Levine, and M. W. Toffel. “Improving Regulatory Effectiveness through Better Targeting: Evidence from OSHA.” American Economic Journal Applied Economics 15, no. 4 (January 1, 2023): 30–67. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20200659.