About

EconoFact is a non-partisan publication designed to bring key facts and incisive analysis to the national debate on economic and social policies. Launched in January 2017, it is written by leading academic economists from across the country who belong to the EconoFact Network.  It is published by the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Mission

Our mission at EconoFact is to provide even-handed analyses of timely economic policy issues drawing on data, historical experience and well-regarded economic frameworks. The presentation is primarily in short memo form.  The memos are written in a manner that is accessible to a wide audience, even when discussing complex economic and statistical analyses.

Our goal is to contribute to the public debate through outreach to journalists, to those directly affecting policy in the corridors of Washington and in our state capitols, and to the public at large. Content published by EconoFact (excluding video content co-produced by EconoFact and third party collaborators) may be reproduced on other websites in accordance with these terms.

We hope that EconoFact serves as a resource for policymakers, thought leaders and journalists, and indeed all interested Americans, so the debate on economic policies can be better based on reasoned arguments, statistical research, and historical experiences.

Executive Editor

Michael Klein

Professor Michael Klein is the William L. Clayton Professor of International Economic Affairs at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He served as the Chief Economist in the Office of International Affairs of the United States Department of the Treasury from 2010-2011. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the IMF, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Boston, Dallas, and San Francisco.

Senior Advisor

Charles Collyns

Charles served as the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office at the International Monetary Fund from 2017 to 2023, and before that, as Chief Economist at the Institute of International Finance. He was the Assistant Secretary for International Finance at the US Treasury Department from 2010 to 2013.

Board of Advisors

Julia Coronado
President and Founder, Macropolicy Perspectives
Karen Dynan
Harvard, former Director of Brookings Economic Studies, former Chief Economist at Department of Treasury
Jason Furman
Harvard, former Chair of Council of Economic Advisors
Bill Gale
Brookings, former Director of Brookings Economic Studies, former Senior Economist, Council of Economic Advisors
Megan Greene
Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School
Melissa Kearney
Professor, University of Maryland
Brad Meslin
Senior Managing Director, CSP Associates, and Member of Fletcher Board of Trustees
Maurice Obstfeld
Class of 1958 Professor of Economics, UC Berkeley, former member, Council of Economic Advisors, former Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund
Eduardo Porter
The New York Times
Jay Shambaugh
George Washington University, former member of Council of Economic Advisors, Director of Brookings The Hamilton Project
Michael Strain
Director of Economic Policy Studies at American Enterprise Institute

Managing Editor

Miriam Wasserman

Miriam is a writer and editor specializing in economics and public policy. She has been an editor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and her work has appeared in The Economist, Stanford News, The Chicago Tribune online, The Miami Herald, and El Tiempo (Colombia), among others.

Deputy Managing Editor

Kailash K. Prasad

Kailash’s expertise in international political economy, in addition to data visualisation. He has previously worked for The Guardian. Some of his writing has appeared in Politico, The National Interest, and The Diplomat among other outlets.

Research Associates

Leah Costlow

Leah is a doctoral candidate at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition. Her research with the Food Prices for Nutrition project focuses on measuring food access around the world using the cost and affordability of healthy diets. She holds an MS in Agriculture, Food and Environment from the Friedman School and a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College.

Research Assistants

Miles Guerin

Miles is a senior at Tufts University studying Applied Math and Quantitative Economics. His interests include labor economics, international trade, and networks.

Luke Heald

Luke is a senior at Tufts University studying Economics, Mathematics, and International Relations. His interests include antitrust, econometrics, and monetary policy.

Timothy Valk

Tim is a senior at Tufts University studying Quantitative Economics and Computer Science. His interests include behavioral economics, game theory and statistics.

Gabriel De Luca Vinocur

Gabriel is a junior at Tufts University studying Quantitative Economics and currently in a year abroad at Pembroke College, Oxford. His interests include monetary policy, international economics and game theory.

Jane Eiswert

Jane is a sophomore at Tufts University studying Quantitative Economics and Entrepreneurship for Social Impact. Her interests include the economics of immigration, game theory, and development economics.

Keshav Srikant

Keshav is a junior at Tufts University studying Quantitative Economics and Mathematics. His interests include urban economics, econometrics, and environmental economics.

The Econofact Network

University of Pennsylvania
Crime and Innovation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Labor

Kathleen Adams

Emory University
Health Policy
Rutgers University
Crime and Criminal Justice Policy
UCLA
Labor and Social Policy
Fletcher School, Tufts University
Development Economics

Patricia Anderson

Dartmouth College
Social Policy
Barnard College
Social Policy
Harvard Kennedy School
Political Economy

Bruce D. Baker

Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
Education
Harvard Business School
Corporate Finance
Boston College
Public Health

Daniel Bergstresser

Brandeis University
Finance
UC Davis and Center for Poverty Research
Social Policy
Columbia University
Labor and Social Policy
Cornell University
Social Policy
University of Michigan
Economic History and Development Economics
Fletcher School, Tufts University
Development Economics
Stanford University
Uncertainty
Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University
Innovation and International Trade
Clark University
Urban and Regional Economics
University of Minnesota
Labor
Wellesley College
Social Policy and Immigration
Harvard University
Finance
Harvard Business School
International macroeconomics
LaFollette School, Wisconsin
International Economics
Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
Environmental and Energy Regulation Policy
UCLA School of Law
Public Finance and Trade
University of California, San Diego
State and Local Government Finances
University of Texas at Austin
Inequality
York University
Labor
Duke University
Racial Wealth Inequalities

J. Bradford DeLong

UC Berkeley
Economic History
Kennedy School & GSE, Harvard
Education
University College, Dublin
Labor
Texas A&M University
Crime and Criminal Justice Policy
University of Michigan
International Macroeconomics
Fletcher School, Tufts University
Economic Statecraft and Political Economy
Harvard University
Macroeconomics
University of Michigan
Education
University of Colorado, Denver
Social Policy and Immigration
Boston University
Political Economy
Harvard Business School
International Tax
Sloan School of Management, MIT
International Economics and Monetary Policy
Harvard Kennedy School
Macroeconomics
Brigham Young University
Labor 

Jeffry Frieden

Harvard University
Political Economy
Harvard University
Macroeconomic Policy and Economic History
Harvard Kennedy School
Macroeconomics
University of Illinois
Environment and Energy Policy
Harvard University
Economic Policy
The Brookings Institution
Fiscal Policy
Columbia University
Poverty and Social Policy

Jan Gerson

University of Michigan
Applied Microeconomics
New York University
Macroeconomics
Duke University
Social Policy
Duke University
Social Policy
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
International Finance
McCourt School, Georgetown
Education
Princeton University
International Trade
University of British Columbia
Health
Vanderbilt University
Health
Carleton College
Education
Yale University
Public Policy

Galina Hale

University of California, Santa Cruz
International Finance and Banking
Harvard Kennedy School
International Trade
 
Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley
Development
Boston College
Social Epidemiology

Hilary Hoynes

University of California, Berkeley
Poverty and Social Policy
Rutgers University
Labor
University of California, Santa Barbara
Environmental
University of Rochester
Labor

Lawrence M. Kahn

Cornell University
Labor
University of Southern California
Environmental and Urban Economics
University of Maryland
International Macroeconomics and Finance
Harvard University
Industrial Organization
Cornell University
Crime and Criminal Justice

Melissa Kearney

University of Maryland
Poverty and Social Policy
Duke University
Inequality
Fletcher School, Tufts University
International Economics
DIW Berlin, Universität Hamburg
Health and Family Economics
University of Missouri
Education
Tufts University
Environment & Energy
Emory University
Health
Brown University
Education
Bank of Canada
Monetary Policy
McCourt School, Georgetown
Labor
Williams College
Macroeconomics, Monetary Policy
Yale University
Economic History
McGill University
Labor

Phillip Levine

Wellesley College
Social Policy
Texas A&M University
Health, Youth
Emory University
Health Policy
Ohio State University
Economic History and Racial Inequality
Johns Hopkins University
Macroeconomics
Purdue University
Food and Agriculture
Stanford Graduate School of Business
International Finance
Monash University
Political Economy
Harvard University
Macroeconomics
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy
and Practice
Labor, Social Policy
Emory University
Health
Boston University Questrom School of Business
Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Friedman School, Tufts University
Food and Agriculture
Wellesley College
Health
Dartmouth College
Health
Texas A&M University
Charitable Giving
Harvard University
International Trade
Dartmouth College
Criminal Justice Policy
Tufts University
Environment & Energy
Fletcher School, Tufts University
Political Economy
Harvard University
Illicit Drug Policy
Northeastern University
Labor Markets
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Risk

Kelly Musick

Cornell University
Social Policy
Columbia University
Health Policy
University of California, Irvine
Anti-Poverty Policy and Discrimination
Swarthmore College
Development
UC Berkeley
International Macroeconomics
Queens College, City University of New York
Immigration, Climate Change
University of California, Davis and Center for Poverty Research
Social Policy
University of California, Los Angeles
Economic and Social Policy

Lynne Pepall

Tufts University
Competition Policy
University of California, Davis
Immigration
Duke University
Social Policy
Tufts University
Behavioural Economics and Charitable Giving

Michael Podgursky

University of Missouri
Education
Cornell University
Trade Policy

Lant Pritchett

Oxford University
Development Economics
UC Davis
Energy and Climate Policy

Sarah Reber

UCLA, Luskin School of Public Affairs
Education and Health
Johns Hopkins University
International Finance and Macroeconomics
Tufts University
Competition Policy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Monetary Policy
Stanford University
Health and Social Policy
University of California, Berkeley
Social Policy
Georgetown University
Labor
University of California, Davis
Macroeconomics and International Trade
Indiana University
Health
Cornell University
Environmental Policy
Northwestern University
Poverty and Education
Carleton College
Gender
Tufts University
Housing Policy
New York University
Tax Policy

John Shea

University of Maryland
Macroeconomics
Harvard Kennedy School
Health
Williams College
Social Policy and Health
Wellesley College
Productivity
University of Connecticut
Health and Family Policy
Indiana University
Health Economics
London School of Economics
Environmental Economics

Michael Sinkinson

Yale School of Management
Competition Policy
Dartmouth College
Health
Kansas University
Health
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Poverty and Social Policy
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Labor
Harvard University
Public Economics
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Health
Harvard University
Financial Markets and Monetary Policy
UC Davis and Center for Poverty Research
Poverty and Labor Markets
Harvard University
Macroeconomics and Energy
Montana State University
Risky behaviors and Crime
Fletcher School, Tufts University
Trade Law
University of California, San Diego
Energy Policy
Williams College
Social Policy
Brandeis University
Labor
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Education
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Labor
Stony Brook University
Labor

Josephine Wolff

Fletcher School, Tufts University
Cybersecurity

Abigail Wozniak

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Labor
Tufts University
Urban and Housing Economics
UC Davis
Labor and Immigration
Smith College
Economics of sports
Dartmouth College
Finance

 

Acknowledgments

In acknowledgment of their work and counsel in helping EconoFact move from concept to fruition: