Justin Wolfers
{{Short description|Australian economist and public policy scholar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox economist
| name = Justin Wolfers
| image = Justin Wolfers 2012.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|12|11}}{{cite tweet|user=JustinWolfers|author=Justin Wolfers|number=543240190924300288|date=12 December 2014|title=Best. Birthday. Ever. #42}}
| birth_place = Papua New Guinea{{Cite book | last1 = Bowmaker | first1 = Simon W. | doi = 10.4337/9781849808477 | title = The Art and Practice of Economics Research | year = 2012 | isbn = 9781849808477 }}
| nationality = Australian
| institution = The Brookings Institution
University of Michigan
| field =
| doctoral_advisor = Lawrence F. Katz[http://users.nber.org/~jwolfers/WolfersCV.pdf WolfersCV]{{cite web|url=https://genealogy.repec.org/pages/pwo9.html |title=RePEc Genealogy page for Justin Wolfers |access-date= 8 Jun 2017 }}
Olivier Blanchard
| academic_advisors= Christopher Jencks
Alberto Alesina
|education=University of Sydney (BEcon)
Harvard University (MA, PhD)}}
Justin James Michael Wolfers (born 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 Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Career
Wolfers holds a Ph.D. in economics (1997–2001) and a Master of Arts in economics (2000), both from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney (1991–1994). He had a Fulbright Scholarship.{{cite news|url= http://chronicle.com/article/Much-Watched-Couple-in/133195/|title=Much-Watched Couple in Economics Lands at U. of Michigan|newspaper=The Chronicle of Higher Education |access-date= 25 January 2015}} Wolfers attended James Ruse Agricultural High School, in Sydney, Australia (1985–1990);{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Jordan |title=25 years at the top of the HSC: What makes James Ruse special |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/25-years-at-the-top-of-the-hsc-what-makes-james-ruse-special-20201218-p56oms.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=18 December 2020 |language=en}} it was in high school that he became interested in economics, noting the influence of his economics teacher.{{Cite web |title=Teach Economics: The Importance of Teaching Students to 'Think Like an Economist' with Professor Justin Wolfers |url=https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/teach-economics-podcast-series/importance-teaching-students-think-like-an-economist-justin-wolfers |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=www.stlouisfed.org |language=en}} He is noted for his research on happiness and its relation to income.{{Cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/04/subjective-well-being-income|title = Subjective Well-Being and Income: Is There Any Evidence of Satiation?|date = 30 November 2001}}
Wolfers moved to the University of Michigan as professor of economics and public policy beginning in fall 2012 with his partner, fellow economist Betsey Stevenson.Peter Monaghan (2012) "Much-Watched Couple in Economics Lands at U. of Michigan" Chronicle of Higher Education Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, Wolfers was associate professor of business and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 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. Wolfers' research has explored macro economics, labor economics, the economics of sports, prediction markets, and the family.{{Cite web |title=Justin Wolfers {{!}} Professor of Economics & Public Policy |url=http://users.nber.org/~jwolfers/research.php |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=users.nber.org}}
In 2007, he was named in David Leonhardt's column as one of 13 young economists who were the future of economics.{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/business/10leonhardt.html| title=The future of economics isn't so dismal | author = David Leonhardt|date= 10 January 2007| newspaper= New York Times}} In 2014, he was named by International Monetary Fund as one of the 25 brightest young economists who are expected to shape the world's thinking about the global economy in the future.Boby Michael, "IMF Lists 25 Brightest Young Economists", International Business Times [http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/imf-lists-25-brightest-young-economists-1462827] August 2014
In 2019, he and Stevenson wrote two economics textbooks, [https://store.macmillanlearning.com/us/product/Principles-of-Microeconomics/p/1464186944 Principles of Microeconomics] and [https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Principles-of-Macroeconomics/p/1464186936 Principles of Macroeconomics], published by Macmillan Learning. The authors' aim was to reflect a school of thought where "every decision a person makes is an economic decision" and offer examples students could relate to in order to better reflect the real world.{{Cite web|url=http://fordschool.umich.edu/news/2019/published-acclaimed-ford-school-economists-seek-transform-college-economics-through-new|title=Macmillan Learning announces publication date for new Stevenson, Wolfers economics textbooks|date=2019-10-18|website=The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan|language=en|access-date=2020-02-27}}
Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson host the [https://art19.com/shows/think-like-an-economist Think Like an Economist] podcast which intends to introduce the audience to economic ideas and empower them to make better decisions.{{Cite web |title=Think Like An Economist |url=https://art19.com/shows/think-like-an-economist |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=ART19}}
Personal life
Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson have publicly discussed being in a shared earning/shared parenting relationship.
References
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Category:Australian economists
Category:University of Sydney alumni
Category:Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Category:University of Michigan faculty
Category:People educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School