Justin Wolfers
Australian economist and public policy scholar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Justin James Michael Wolfers (born December 11, 1972)[4][5] is an Australian-American[6] economist and public policy scholar.
11 December 1972
Harvard University (MA, PhD)
Justin Wolfers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Justin James Michael Wolfers 11 December 1972 |
| Partner | Betsey Stevenson |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Sydney (BEcon) Harvard University (MA, PhD) |
| Lawrence F. Katz[2][3] Olivier Blanchard | |
Other advisors | Christopher Jencks Alberto Alesina |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Brookings Institution University of Michigan |
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.[7]
Education
Wolfers attended James Ruse Agricultural High School, in Sydney (1985–1990).[8] It was in high school that he became interested in economics, noting the influence of his economics teacher.[9]
Following graduation from high school, Wolfers earned a bachelor of economics degree from the University of Sydney (1991–1994).
He then moved to the United States and at Harvard University earned a master of arts in economics (2000) and a PhD in economics (1997–2001). Wolfers is a Fulbright Scholar.[10]
Career
Wolfers was associate professor of business and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[11] With his partner, fellow economist Betsey Stevenson, in the fall of 2012 Wolfers moved to the University of Michigan as professor of economics and public policy.[12] Wolfers is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.[11]
Work
Wolfers is noted for his research on happiness and its relation to income.[13] 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. His research has explored macro economics, labor economics, the economics of sports, prediction markets, and the family.[14]
In 2019, Stevenson and Wolfers wrote two economics textbooks, Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics, published by Macmillan Learning. The aim of the authors was to reflect a school of thought where "every decision a person makes is an economic decision" and to offer examples students could relate to, reflecting the real world.[15]
Stevenson and Wolfers host the Think Like an Economist podcast which intends to introduce the audience to economic ideas and empower folks to make better decisions.[16]
Wolfers publishes Platypus Economics on Substack, which debuted in the Spring of 2026.[17] The newsletter offers free and paid subscriptions, providing links among its options to earlier work and video of interviews on other programs and platforms as well as an online chat.
Personal life
Wolfers and his partner Betsey Stevenson have two children. They are unmarried for tax reasons and often have discussed being in a shared earning and parenting relationship during interviews and public appearances.[12]
Reception
- In 2007, Wolfers was named in a David Leonhardt column as one of 13 young economists who were the future of economics.[18]
- In 2014, Wolfers was named by International Monetary Fund as one of the 25 brightest young economists who are expected to shape world thinking about the global economy in the future.[19]