Jason Furman
{{Short description|American economist and political adviser (born 1970)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jason Furman
| image = Jason Furman official portrait (3x4 cropped).jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2013
| office = 28th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
| president = Barack Obama
| term_start = August 2, 2013
| term_end = January 20, 2017
| predecessor = Alan Krueger
| successor = Kevin Hassett
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|8|18}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse =
| children = 3
| relations = Gail Furman (mother)
| education = Harvard University (BA, MA, PhD)
London School of Economics (MSc)
}}
Jason Furman (born August 18, 1970) is an American economist and professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government{{Cite web|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/newsplus/jason-furman-named-professor-of-practice-at-harvard-kennedy-school/|title=Jason Furman Named Professor of Practice at Harvard Kennedy School|date=April 14, 2017|website=Harvard Gazette|language=en-US|access-date=December 18, 2018}} and a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.{{cite web|url=https://piie.com/newsroom/press-releases/jason-furman-joins-peterson-institute-international-economics|title=Jason Furman Joins Peterson Institute for International Economics|date=January 23, 2017}} On June 10, 2013, Furman was named by President Barack Obama as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).The White House. [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/06/10/remarks-president-nominating-jason-furman-chairman-council-economic-advi "Remarks by the President Nominating Jason Furman as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers."] June 10, 2013. Furman has also served as the deputy director of the U.S. National Economic Council,{{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/node/2096|title=Obama Announces Deputy Directors for the National Economic Council|language=en|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=December 18, 2018}} which followed his role as an advisor for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign.
Since 2019, he has taught Economics 10, the year-long introductory economics course at Harvard, together with David Laibson.{{cite news |title=Laibson and Furman to Take Over Ec10, Increase Number of Lectures |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/4/1/laibson-furman-head-ec10/ |access-date=January 10, 2020 |publisher=The Harvard Crimson |date=April 1, 2019}}
Furman is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Group of Thirty and the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. He also serves as a Trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation and on the advisory boards for the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, the Bund Summit, the Hamilton Project and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. In addition to articles in scholarly journals and periodicals, Furman is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and Project Syndicate and the editor of two books on economic policy.{{Cite web |title=Jason Furman |url=https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/jason-furman |access-date=December 28, 2022 |website=www.hks.harvard.edu |language=en}}
Early life and education
Born and raised in New York City, Furman is the son of Jay Furman, a real estate and shopping mall developer, and Gail Furman, a child psychologist. Furman is Jewish. {{cite web|url= https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-in-the-barack-obama-administration|title=Barack Obama Administration: Jews in the Administration|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|date=March 1, 2016}} Furman's brother, Jesse M. Furman, is a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00021|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 2nd Session|publisher=United States Senate|date=February 17, 2012}}
Furman graduated from the Dalton School in 1988. In 1992, he graduated with an AB in social studies from Harvard University, where his freshman year roommate was Matt Damon. He then received an MSc from the London School of Economics. Furman later returned to Harvard, where he received an AM in government in 1995 and a PhD in economics in 2004.{{Cite web|url=http://hcsanantonio.clubs.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=243|title=Economist Jason Furman (Harvard A.B, 1992, M.A., 1995, Ph.D. 2004) To Speak January 18, 2018|website=hcsanantonio.clubs.harvard.edu|access-date=December 18, 2018}} His PhD thesis advisor was Greg Mankiw, who had served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under the administration of George W. Bush.
Early career
In 1996, while he was a graduate student at Harvard, Furman was hired by economist Joseph Stiglitz to serve a one-year stint as a staff economist for the Council of Economic Advisers. He later worked with Stiglitz at the World Bank before joining the National Economic Council as a Special Assistant to the President during the Clinton administration.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/us/politics/06furman.html|title=Jason Furman|work=The New York Times |date=November 6, 2008 |last1=Calmes |first1=Jackie }} Furman was involved to varying degrees with the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and Wesley Clark, along with his wife, Eve Gerber, who also contributed as a speechwriter for Clark.{{cite web|last=Boak|first=Josh|title=10 Things You Don't Know About Obama's New Econ Guru Read|url=http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/05/29/10--Things-You-Dont-Know-about-Obamas-New-Econ-Guru.aspx#page1|work=The Fiscal Times|access-date=July 2, 2013}} In 2004, he took a position as director of economic policy for the 2004 Kerry presidential campaign. At the outset of the election, Furman joined the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) where he was credited with helping defeat the privatization of Social Security proposed by the George W. Bush administration.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/economist-jason-furman-is-the-wonkiest-wonk-in-the-white-house/2014/02/12/7e14b7bc-8e8f-11e3-b227-12a45d109e03_story.html|title=Economist Jason Furman is the Wonkiest Wonk in the White House|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 12, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/national/an-ex-new-york-knife-juggler-to-hone-obamas-econ/80153/|title=An Ex-New-York-Knife-Juggler To Hone Obama's Econ Policy|date=June 17, 2008}}
He was a visiting scholar at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and taught as a visiting lecturer at Columbia University and Yale University.[http://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/facultyDetail.php?whereField=facultyID&whereValue=323 Jason Furman NYU Wagner] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610064638/http://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/facultyDetail.php?whereField=facultyID&whereValue=323 |date=June 10, 2008 }}
From 2006 to 2008, Furman was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of the Hamilton Project, an economic policy research group that develops policy proposals to achieve shared economic growth founded by former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. During his tenure, Furman published papers on tax treatment of healthcare and edited two published volumes.{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/book/who-has-the-cure/|title=Who Has the Cure?|publisher=Brookings Institution}}{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/book/path-to-prosperity/|title=Path to Prosperity|publisher= Brookings Institution}}
Obama administration
In 2008, Furman joined Barack Obama's presidential campaign as the Economic Policy Director.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/news/features/all-new/53370/|title=New Brainiac: Jason Furman|publisher=NY Magazine|first=Ruth Shalit |last=Barrett|author-link=Ruth Shalit|date=January 11, 2009|access-date=March 8, 2017}} Initially, Furman's appointment as a campaign adviser had been criticized by some labor activists for his defense of Walmart's business model.{{cite web| url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-11-na-furman11-story.html |title=New Obama Aide Has His Share of Critics|work= Los Angeles Times|first=Tom|last=Hamburger|date=June 11, 2008|access-date=March 8, 2017}}{{Cite news |last=DePillis |first=Lydia |date=November 25, 2021 |title=The architect of Walmart's D.C. defense: Obama's chief economist |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/08/19/the-architect-of-walmarts-d-c-defense-obamas-chief-economist/ |access-date=August 7, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}} During Obama's first term, Furman served as the deputy director at the National Economic Council to Lawrence Summers and Gene Sperling. In this role, he was one of the architects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including stimulus-spending initiatives to benefit the poor as well as business tax incentives.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/magazine/obama-poverty.html?pagewanted=all|title=What Does Obama Really Believe In? |work=The New York Times |first=Paul|last=Tough|date=August 15, 2012|access-date=March 8, 2017}} Furman is also credited with helping to create the administration's corporate tax-overhaul plan, influencing fiscal policy negotiations, and for helping to design and negotiate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA" or "ObamaCare").{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324809804578511251164794588|title=Obama to Name Furman to Run Economic Council|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|first=Damian|last=Paletta|date=May 28, 2013|access-date=March 8, 2017}}
On June 10, 2013, Furman was named chairman of the three-member Council of Economic Advisers by President Obama. Obama referred to Furman as "one of the most brilliant economic minds of his generation" and said "there's no one I'd rather turn to for straightforward, unvarnished advice that helps me to do my job." His appointment to the role was met with bipartisan support.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/business/jason-furman-is-named-obamas-chief-economic-adviser.html|title=Obama Names Longtime Aide as His Chief Economic Adviser|work=The New York Times|first=Jackie |last=Calmes|date=June 10, 2013|access-date=March 8, 2017}} During his tenure as chairman, Furman played a role in advancing economic debates and public policies around tax reform, competition,{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/jason-furman-universal-basic-income-2016-7|title=Obama's Top Economic Adviser Doesn't Like the Idea of Giving People Money Not to Work|publisher=Business Insider|first=Myles|last=Udland|date=July 7, 2016|access-date=March 8, 2017}} artificial intelligence and innovation,{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/896501/a-massive-ai-partnership-is-adding-civil-rights-organizations-to-keep-computers-from-repeating-human-mistakes/|title=A Massive AI Partnership is Tapping Civil Rights and Economic Experts to Keep AI Safe|publisher=Quartz|first=Dave|last=Gergshgorn|date=January 27, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2017}} and investment issues.{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/2/7/14526510/jason-furman-fiduciary-rule|title=Obama's Top Economist Says Trump's Case For Gutting Investor Protections Makes No Sense|publisher=Vox|first=Timothy B. |last=Lee|date=February 7, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2017}} As CEA chair, Furman was a cabinet-level government officer and a regular attendee of meetings of the Cabinet of the United States.
File:AEA 2025 - Benanke Romer Furman 01.jpg, Christina Romer at AEA 2025 in a panel on inflation]]
Personal life
Furman and his wife Eve (née Gerber){{Cite web|title=UJA-Federation of New York mourns the passing of Jay Furman, longtime supporter of UJA-Federation and a distinguished leader in our community as a member of UJA-Federation's Finance Committee & Board of Directors |work=The New York Times|date= January 6, 2015|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=173743806 }} live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with their three children.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080517100102/http://www.brookings.edu/experts/furmanj.aspx Writings] at the Brookings Institution
- {{C-SPAN|1011916}}
- [https://piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/jason-furman Jason Furman at the Peterson Institute for International Economics]
- [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/jason-furman Jason Furman White House author]
- [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cea/speeches-testimony Jason Furman White House speeches]
- {{NYTtopic|people/f/jason_furman}}
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{{s-bef|before=Alan Krueger}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers|years=2013–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Kevin Hassett}}
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{{CEA Chairs}}
{{Obama cabinet}}
{{Keynesians}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Furman, Jason}}
Category:20th-century American economists
Category:21st-century American politicians
Category:21st-century American economists
Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics
Category:Executive Office of the President of the United States
Category:Harvard College alumni
Category:Jewish American members of the Cabinet of the United States
Category:New Keynesian economists
Category:Obama administration cabinet members
Category:Scientists from New York City
Category:Social scientists from New York City
Category:Peterson Institute for International Economics
Category:Chairs of the United States Council of Economic Advisers
Category:Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni