Betsey Ayer Stevenson (born c. 1971) is an economist and Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Additionally, she is a fellow of the
Ifo Institute for Economic Research
The Ifo Institute for Economic Research is a Munich-based research institution. Ifo is an acronym from Information and Forschung (research). As one of Germany's largest economic think-tanks, it analyses economic policy and is widely known for its ...
in Munich, a research associate at the
National Bureau of Economic Research
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic c ...
and servers on the board of the American Economic Association. The
Obama Administration announced her appointment as a Member of the
Council of Economic Advisers, a post she served from 2013 through 2015.
She previously served as Chief Economist of the
U.S. Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the United States federal executive departments, executive departments of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of fede ...
under Secretary
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...
from 2010 to 2011.
Previously, she was an Assistant Professor of Business and Public Policy, at the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
.
In November 2020, Stevenson was named a volunteer member of the
Joe Biden presidential transition
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7, 2020 and ended on January 20, 2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions, which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week o ...
Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the
United States Department of Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
.
Education
Betsey Stevenson earned a B.A. in economics and mathematics from
Wellesley College in 1993. After working as a research assistant at the
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
, she went on to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 2001. At Harvard, she studied under
N. Gregory Mankiw
Nicholas Gregory Mankiw (; born February 3, 1958) is an American macroeconomist who is currently the Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Mankiw is best known in academia for his work on New Keynesian economics.
Mankiw h ...
, and had
Caroline M. Hoxby,
Lawrence Katz, and
Claudia Goldin
Claudia Goldin (born May 14, 1946) is an American economic historian and labor economist who is currently the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University. She is a co-director of the NBER's Gender in the Economy Study Group and was th ...
as thesis advisors.
Current academic appointments
Stevenson is a professor of economics and public policy at
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Currently, Stevenson serves as a research associate at the
National Bureau of Economic Research
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic c ...
, which she has been affiliated with since 2008. She has been on the Board of Directors of the
American Law and Economics Association The American Law and Economics Association (ALEA), a United States organization founded in 1991, is focused on the advancement of economic understanding of law, and related areas of public policy and regulation. It promotes research in law and econo ...
since 2010.
In 2011, Stevenson was appointed to the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
's, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity as an advisor. Also in 2011, Stevenson joined the editorial board of the ''International Journal of Happiness and Development''.
On March 6, 2019, Stevenson testified for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, highlighting some of the critical issues the modern American worker faces such as technology and inadequate family support policies.
Stevenson has also conducted research on the relationship between wealth inequality and happiness alongside
Justin Wolfers
Justin James Michael Wolfers, born in 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 research argues for redistribution, where transferring a 10% income boost from a millionaire to a lower-income individual would increase overall happiness.
Since 2007, Stevenson has served as a research fellow for the
CESifo Economic Studies
''CESifo Economic Studies'' is a journal on economics published by the CESifo Group. It was established as ''IFO Studien'' in 1955 and obtained its current title in 2002.
The journal is abstracted and indexed by the Social Sciences Citation Index ...
.
Stevenson maintains a large Twitter following and regularly provides economic analysis on cable television.
Past professional and academic appointments
After graduating from Harvard, Stevenson turned down a faculty position at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and went to work for Forrester Research, a technology consulting firm in California. After a few years, she accepted a faculty position at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. In addition, from 2005–2009 she served as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
From September 2010 to 2011, she served as chief economist of the
U.S. Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the United States federal executive departments, executive departments of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of fede ...
under Secretary
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...
.
After leaving the Department of Labor, she spent a year as a visiting assistant professor and visiting associate research scholar at the Princeton University Department of Economics. Stevenson then moved to Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
Academic research
Stevenson has published widely in leading economics journals about the impact of public policies on the labor market, with a focus on women and families. She has also written widely on subjective well-being. Her research is interdisciplinary, and her research had an impact in economics, sociology, psychology, and demography, and within legal scholarship. She is a columnist for Bloomberg View, and a sometime commentator for Public Radio's Marketplace program, and her thoughts on the economy are frequently covered in both print and television media.
Stevenson's research is extensive, including several papers co-authored with
Justin Wolfers
Justin James Michael Wolfers, born in 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 ...
.
Personal life
Betsey Stevenson has two children with
Justin Wolfers
Justin James Michael Wolfers, born in 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 ...
, an Australian economist and public policy scholar, who is also a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. The couple met while graduate students at Harvard University.
They are unmarried partners for tax reasons,
and have frequently publicly discussed being a
Shared Earning/Shared Parenting relationship.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Betsey
1970s births
20th-century American economists
21st-century American economists
21st-century American women
American women economists
Chief Economists of the United States Department of Labor
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy faculty
Harvard University alumni
Living people
Obama administration personnel
United States Council of Economic Advisers
University of Michigan faculty
Wellesley College alumni