Economics
Richard Cooper, Longtime Harvard Economist and Public Servant, Dies at 86
Richard N. Cooper — who taught international economics at Harvard starting in 1981 and served in four different U.S. presidential administrations — died of lymphoma on Dec. 23 at age 86 at his home in Cambridge.
President-elect Joe Biden Nominates Harvard Affiliates to Top Executive Positions
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has appointed several Harvard affiliates to serve on his cabinet, including former assistant professor Janet L. Yellen, Harvard College alumni Antony J. Blinken ’84, Vivek H. Murthy ’98, and Medical School professor Rochelle P. Walensky.
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Andrews Lauded for ‘Ridiculous Smarts,’ ‘Ridiculous Amount of Kindness’
Andrews was named a 2020 MacArthur Fellow in October, receiving $625,000 for his work overcoming statistical inference problems in empirical economics. The grant itself gives him flexibility to take more unpaid leave and focus on research, Andrews explained, but it is also a tremendous honor in its own right.
Former IMF Official Presents Two Paths for ‘New Normal’ in Post-Pandemic Global Finance
Former International Monetary Fund and French Treasury official Jean-Pierre Landau laid out two potential paths to confront the pandemic’s effects on global finance in a webinar hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School Wednesday evening.
Harvard Economics Professor Isaiah Andrews Wins MacArthur Grant
Harvard Economics professor Isaiah S. Andrews was one of 21 recipients of a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, the MacArthur Foundation announced on Tuesday.
Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Michael Kremer Departs Harvard for Chicago
Harvard Economics professor Michael R. Kremer ’85, one of the recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, is leaving Cambridge to direct a new Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago.
Alberto Alesina, Prolific Econ. Professor Who ‘Made the Whole Program More Human,’ Dies at 63
Several colleagues agreed that Alberto Alesina’s warmth and humility pervaded the Economics Department at Harvard, where he had been a faculty member since 1988 and served as chair from 2003 to 2006.
Harvard Kennedy School Professor Reinhart Named World Bank Chief Economist
The World Bank named Harvard Kennedy School professor Carmen M. Reinhart its new chief economist Wednesday amid predictions of a prolonged global recession.
Economics Professor Dell Wins Clark Medal
Economics Professor Melissa L. Dell ’05 was named the recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal for her research on the role of institutions in economic development.
Economics Remains Most Popular Concentration for Class of 2022
Economics maintained its position as the most popular concentration, with 612 undergraduate concentrators at the College this fall, according to the Director of the Office of Institutional Research Karen Pearce.
Why I Declared 2019: Social Sciences
To get some perspective on concentration declaration, we asked Flyby sophomores studying the social sciences why they declared.
Michael Kremer
Economics Professor and 2019 Nobel Laureate in Economics Michael Kremer '85 converses with students during an event hosted by the Center for International Development in the Smith Campus Center Tuesday evening.
Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer Discusses Award-Winning Work with Harvard Students
Economics Professor and 2019 Nobel Laureate Michael R. Kremer ’85 shared insights into his personal journey as an economist with Harvard students during an event Tuesday afternoon at the Smith Campus Center.
IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath Discusses U.S.-China Trade Tensions at JFK Jr. Forum
International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Gita Gopinath returned to Harvard to discuss emerging markets, trade disputes, and other global economic issues at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum Tuesday evening.
Saez Addresses Economic Inequality, Advocates for Wealth Tax in Kennedy School Talk
Economist Emmanuel Saez proposed tax reforms to alleviate America’s wealth disparity in a lecture on economic inequality at the Harvard Kennedy School Monday evening.
Legacy, Athlete, and Donor Preferences Disproportionately Benefit White Applicants, per Analysis
Forty-three percent of white admits to Harvard College are athletes, legacies, children of faculty, or members of a hand selected list curated by top administrators, according to working papers by Students for Fair Admissions-hired expert witness Peter S. Arcidiacono.
Larry Sumers
Professor Larry Summers introduces Bank of England Governor Mike Carney at the IOP on Wednesday evening. The two professionals discussed The New International Economic Order and the current trade issues in the global economy today.
At Harvard Economics Talk, Northwestern Professor Reinterprets Industrial Revolution
Economic historian Joel Mokyr argued that the expertise of British craftsmen fueled that country’s rise to dominance during the Industrial Revolution in a lecture sponsored by the Economics Department Wednesday.
Nobel Prize in Economics Awarded to Harvard Professor Michael Kremer
Economics Professor Michael Kremer ’85 won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences along with two MIT professors for their work on developing an experimental methodology for alleviating poverty around the world.
Harvard Closes Fryer’s Research Lab As Sanctions Take Effect
Harvard shuttered Economics professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr.’s research lab, the Education Innovation Laboratory, on Monday after more than a decade of operation, according to its website.
Harvard Economist Martin Weitzman, Known for Climate Change Scholarship, Dies at 77
As awareness about climate change has grown rapidly in recent years and brought about calls for change, Harvard Economics Professor Martin L. Weitzman forged a path of environmental scholarship in the field of economics.
Economics Professor Martin Feldstein, ‘Legendary’ Teacher and Thinker, Dies at 79
Feldstein was a prolific academic who served in a number of political roles. During his career, he served as the chief economic advisor to Ronald Reagan and the president of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Complainant Withdrew Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Complaint Against Harvard Prof. Roland Fryer
A state-level investigation into whether Economics Professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr. sexually harassed and retaliated against a former female employee concluded in February by agreement of the parties, according to documents obtained by The Crimson.
Harvard Invests Millions in New Cryptocurrency
Harvard Management Company is now investing in a new cryptocurrency, Blockstack, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings released Wednesday, a move some experts have said is still unusual for investors of its magnitude.
Harvard Economics Department Holds Inaugural Personal Finance Workshop Series
Students concentrating in a variety of fields gathered in Harvard Hall for the Economics Department’s first session of its four-part inaugural Personal Finance Workshop series on Monday evening.