Justin Wolfers

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Justin Wolfers
Justin Wolfers 2012.jpg
Born (1972-12-11) 11 December 1972 (age 52) [1]
Papua New Guinea [2]
Nationality Australian
Education University of Sydney (BEcon)
Harvard University (MA, PhD)
Academic career
Institution The Brookings Institution
University of Michigan
Doctoral
advisor		 Lawrence F. Katz [3] [4]
Olivier Blanchard [3] [4]
Academic
advisors		 Christopher Jencks [3]
Alberto Alesina [3]

Justin James Michael Wolfers (born 1972) is an Australian economist and public policy scholar. He is professor of economics and public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Contents

Career

Wolfers holds a Ph.D. in economics (1997–2001) and a Master of Arts in economics (2000), both from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney (1991–1994). He had a Fulbright Scholarship. [5] Wolfers attended James Ruse Agricultural High School, in Sydney, Australia (1985–1990); [6] it was in high school that he became interested in economics, noting the influence of his economics teacher. [7] He is noted for his research on happiness and its relation to income. [8]

Wolfers moved to the University of Michigan as professor of economics and public policy beginning in fall 2012 with his partner, fellow economist Betsey Stevenson. [9] Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, Wolfers was associate professor of business and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a contributor to The New York Times (where he writes for The Upshot blog) and The Wall Street Journal. He was an editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity from 2009 through 2015. Wolfers' research has explored macro economics, labor economics, the economics of sports, prediction markets, and the family. [10]

In 2007, he was named in David Leonhardt's column as one of 13 young economists who were the future of economics. [11] In 2014, he was named by International Monetary Fund as one of the 25 brightest young economists who are expected to shape the world's thinking about the global economy in the future. [12]

In 2019, he and Stevenson wrote two economics textbooks, Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics , published by Macmillan Learning. The authors' aim was to reflect a school of thought where "every decision a person makes is an economic decision" and offer examples students could relate to in order to better reflect the real world. [13]

Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson host the Think Like an Economist podcast which intends to introduce the audience to economic ideas and empower them to make better decisions. [14]

Personal life

Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson have publicly discussed being in a shared earning/shared parenting relationship. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Justin Wolfers [@JustinWolfers] (12 December 2014). "Best. Birthday. Ever. #42" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Bowmaker, Simon W. (2012). The Art and Practice of Economics Research. doi:10.4337/9781849808477. ISBN   9781849808477.
  3. 1 2 3 4 WolfersCV
  4. 1 2 "RePEc Genealogy page for Justin Wolfers" . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Much-Watched Couple in Economics Lands at U. of Michigan". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Baker, Jordan (18 December 2020). "25 years at the top of the HSC: What makes James Ruse special". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ↑ "Teach Economics: The Importance of Teaching Students to 'Think Like an Economist' with Professor Justin Wolfers". www.stlouisfed.org. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Subjective Well-Being and Income: Is There Any Evidence of Satiation?". 30 November 2001.
  9. 1 2 Peter Monaghan (2012) "Much-Watched Couple in Economics Lands at U. of Michigan" Chronicle of Higher Education
  10. ↑ "Justin Wolfers | Professor of Economics & Public Policy". users.nber.org. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ↑ David Leonhardt (10 January 2007). "The future of economics isn't so dismal". New York Times.
  12. ↑ Boby Michael, "IMF Lists 25 Brightest Young Economists", International Business Times August 2014
  13. ↑ "Macmillan Learning announces publication date for new Stevenson, Wolfers economics textbooks". The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  14. ↑ "Think Like An Economist". ART19. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
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