2025 Elected AEA Officers
The American Economic Association is pleased to announce the results from the 2024 Election of Officers for 2025:
Katharine Abraham (president-elect), Amy Finkelstein and Jeffrey Wooldridge (vice-presidents), Elizabeth Cascio and Damon Jones (members)
President-Elect
KATHARINE G. ABRAHAM, Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Survey Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
Statement of Purpose: The Association includes members employed in many different settings, not only research universities but also teaching colleges, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and the private sector. As President-elect, my central goal will be to ensure that the Association serves the needs of all its members. Historically, the Association’s annual meeting has provided a venue for its diverse membership to gather. In recent years, reflecting in part the move to conducting initial job-market interviews online rather than in person at the annual meetings, fewer people have attended. One of my specific priorities will be to find ways to ensure that the annual meeting is a well-attended event that continues to serve its historical function of bringing the members of the profession together. Sustaining the Association’s many activities of course requires that it remain on a sound financial footing. That is something I will keep sharply in focus during my tenure.
Previous and Present Positions: Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Survey Methodology, 2021–, Professor of Economics and Survey Methodology, 2013–21, Professor of Survey Methodology, 2001–13, Professor of Economics, 1991–97 and Associate Professor of Economics, 1987–91, University of Maryland, College Park; Member, President’s Council of Economic Advisers, 2011–13; Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1993–2001; Research Associate, Brookings Institution, 1985–88; Associate Professor of Industrial Relations, 1985–87 and Assistant Professor of Industrial Relations, 1980–85, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Degrees: Ph.D. in Economics, Harvard University, 1982; B.S. in Economics, Iowa State University, 1976.
Publications: “Measuring the Gig Economy: Current Knowledge and Open Issues,” (with Haltiwanger, Sandusky, and Spletzer), in C. Corrado, J. Haskel, J. Miranda, and D. Sichel, eds., Measuring and Accounting for Innovation in the 21st Century, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021; “How Tight is the U.S. Labor Market?” (with Haltiwanger and Rendell), Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2020; “Framing Effects, Earnings Expectations and the Design of Student Loan Repayment Schemes,” (with Filiz-Ozbay, Ozbay, and Turner), Journal of Public Economics, 2020; “The Consequences of Long-term Unemployment: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data,” (with Haltiwanger, Sandusky, and Spletzer), ILR Review, 2019; “Nonresponse in the American Time Use Survey: Who is Missing from the Data and How Much Does It Matter?”, (with Maitland and Bianchi), Public Opinion Quarterly, 2006; “Financial Aid and Students’ College Decisions: Evidence from the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program,” (with Clark), Journal of Human Resources, 2006; “Firms’ Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence,” (with Taylor), Journal of Labor Economics, 1996; “Job Duration, Seniority and Earnings,” (with Farber), AER, 1987; “Cyclical Unemployment: Sectoral Shifts or Aggregate Disturbances?”, (with Katz), Journal of Political Economy, 1986; “Experience, Performance and Earnings,” (with Medoff), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1980.
AEA Offices, Committee Memberships, and Honors: Ad Hoc AEJ: Economic Policy Editor Search Committee, 2022; Ad Hoc Search Committee for Washington DC Representative, 2021–22; Distinguished Fellow, 2020; Nominating Committee, 2018; AEACGR Chair, 2009–11; AEA Vice President, 2008; AEAStat (Chair 2006–09), 2009–11; CSWEP, 2005–08.
Other Affiliations and Honors: Member, Congressional Budget Office Panel of Economic Advisers, 2015–; Member, Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Committee, 2014–23; Member, National Academy of Sciences, elected 2022; Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected 2020; Prize for Contributions to Data and Measurement, Society of Labor Economists, 2019; Chair, Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, 2016–17; Fellow, Society of Labor Economists, elected 2007; Fellow, American Statistical Association, elected 2003; D. Sc., Iowa State University, 2002; Julius Shiskin Memorial Award for Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, 2002.
Vice-Presidents
AMY FINKELSTEIN, John & Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Statement of Purpose: I am honored to be nominated for Vice-President of the AEA. If elected, I believe a key responsibility would be to serve as a voice for members with proposals for new initiatives for the AEA Executive Committee. Indeed, the work I am most proud of during my prior stint on the Executive Committee was to respond to a proposal by an AEA member for a Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession; that proposal might not have gone forward had I not volunteered to chair a committee to consider—and ultimately advocate for—its creation. In addition to representing members’ ideas, my experience founding and editing AER: Insights has left me particularly committed to continuing to explore ways to expand the AEA journals to both publish a greater number of papers—too many excellent papers are being passed over—and to include a wider range of research styles.
Previous and Present Positions: John & Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016–; co-Founder and co-Scientific Director, J-PAL North America, 2013–; co-Director, Economics of Health Program, 2023–, co-Director, Health and Aging Fellowship, 2016–, NBER; co-Director, Health Care Program, 2020–23, co-Director, Public Economics Programs, 2008–20, NBER; Associate Editor, JEP, 2014–19; Co-Editor Journal of Public Economics, 2008–14; Ford Professor of Economics, 2012–16; Professor of Economics, 2008–12, Associate Professor of Economics (with tenure), 2007–08, Assistant Professor of Economics, 2005–07, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Visiting Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 2010–11; Junior Fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows, 2002–05; Visiting Scholar in the Demography of Aging, NBER, 2001–02; Staff Economist, Council of Economic Advisers, 1997–98.
Degrees: Ph.D. in economics, MIT, 2001; MPhil in Economics, Oxford University, 1997; A.B. in government, Harvard University, 1995.
Publications: We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care (with Einav), Portfolio Press, 2023; Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What To Do About It (with Einav and Fisman), Yale University Press, 2023; “Voluntary Regulation: Evidence from Medicare Paper Reform” (with Einav, Ji and Mahoney), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2022; “Health Care Hotspotting: A Randomized, Controlled Trial” (with Zhou, Taubman, and Doyle), New England Journal of Medicine, 2020; “The Value of Medicaid: Interpreting Results from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment” (with Hendren and Luttmer), Journal of Political Economy, 2019; “Sources of Geographic Variation in Health Care: Evidence from Patient Migration” (with Gentzkow and Williams), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2016; “Healthcare Exceptionalism? Performance and Allocation in the US Healthcare Sector” (with Chandra, Sacarny and Syverson), AER, 2016; “Medicaid Increases Emergency Department Use: Evidence from Oregon’s Health Insurance Experiment” (with Taubman, Allen, Wright, and Baicker), Science, 2014; “The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year”(with Taubman, Wright, Bernstein, Gruber, Newhouse, Allen, Baicker, and the Oregon Health Study Group), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2012; “Estimating Welfare in Insurance Markets Using Variation in Prices”(with Einav and Cullen), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2010.
AEA Offices, Committee Memberships, and Honors: Founding Editor, AER: Insights, 2017–23; Executive Committee, 2013–16; John Bates Clark Medal, 2012; Program Committee, 2008, 2014, 2017; Elaine Bennett Research Prize, 2008.
Other Affiliations and Honors: MERIT Award, National Institutes of Health, 2020; MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, 2018; Member, National Academy of Sciences, 2018; ASHEcon Medal, 2014; Arrow Award for Best Paper in Health Economics, 2013; Graduate Teacher of the Year Award, Graduate Economics Association, MIT, 2012; Fellow, Econometric Society, 2012; American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2012; Best Adviser, Graduate Economics Association, MIT, 2010; Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2009.
JEFFREY M. WOOLDRIDGE, University Distinguished Professor of Economics, Michigan State University
Statement of Purpose: As someone who has taught in the AEA continuing education program, I am interested in being involved with the scheduling of topics and selection of instructors. Also, over the years I have supervised dozens of Ph.D. students, including many women. But as a field, econometrics appears to lag behind other fields in terms of participation by underrepresented groups. I am interested in exploring whether barriers exist for certain groups – and how those might be eliminated or reduced. Are there strategies at the undergraduate level that can encourage a more diverse group of economics majors to obtain a suitably technical background? Finally, as a heavy user of data in my research and teaching—and, in particular, the use of data in replication studies—I would like to see if certain features of the data archive can be made more user friendly. Many of the available data sets are cumbersome to work.
Previous and Present Positions: University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, 2001–; Assistant Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1986–91.
Degrees: Ph.D. in Economics, U.C. San Diego, 1986; B.A., Computer Science and Economics, U.C. Berkeley, 1982.
Publications: Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data, 2e. MIT Press, 2010; Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach, 7e. Cengage, 2020; “Simple Approaches to Nonlinear Difference-in-Differences with Panel Data,” Econometrics Journal, 2023; “When Should You Adjust Standard Errors for Clustering?” (with Abadie, Athey, and Imbens), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2023; “Correlated Random Effects Models with Unbalanced Panels,” Journal of Econometrics, 2019; “Control Function Methods in Applied Econometrics,” Journal of Human Resources, 2015; “Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation” (with Imbens), JEL, 2009; “Inverse Probability Weighted M-Estimation for General Missing Data Problems,” Journal of Econometrics, 2007; “Cluster-Sample Methods in Applied Econometrics,” AER, 2003; “Econometric Methods for Fractional Response Variables with an Application to 401(k) Plan Participation Rates” (with Papke), Journal of Applied Econometrics, 1996.
AEA Offices, Committee Memberships, and Honors: AEA Summer Program Instructor, Michigan State University, 2016–20; CSWEP Econopalooza, June 2022; AEA Continuing Education (with G. Imbens), 2009, 2012.
Other Affiliations and Honors: T.W. Schultz Award, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, 2024; Founding Fellow, International Association for Applied Econometrics, 2018; President, Midwest Economics Association, 2010–11; Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn, Germany, 2009; Fellow, Econometric Society, 2002; Richard Stone Prize, Journal of Applied Econometrics, 1998; Multa Scripsit Award, Econometric Theory, 1997; Journal of Econometrics Fellow, 1995; Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 1991–94.
Executive Committee Members
ELIZABETH U. CASCIO, Professor of Economics and DeWalt H. 1921 and Marie H. Ankeny Professor in Economic Policy, Dartmouth College
Statement of Purpose: It’s an honor to stand for election to the AEA Executive Committee. As a teacher, I am consistently amazed by the potential future of our discipline. As an editor, mentor, colleague, and researcher, though, I’ve felt some alarm about the recent trajectory of economics as a profession. Rising barriers to entry, growing resource inequality, and poor climate are discouraging the next generation and deepening frustration. The AEA’s initiatives to expand the number and publication frequency of Association journals, develop a code of professional conduct, promote inclusion, and invest in the pipeline are steps in the right direction. However, more must be done. I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I have some ideas, and if elected will listen and collaborate creatively with others to advance efforts to democratize the profession. I’m grateful and enthusiastic for this opportunity and thank you for your consideration.
Previous and Present Positions: Professor of Economics and DeWalt H. 1921 and Marie H. Ankeny Professor in Economic Policy 2021–, Associate Professor of Economics 2013–21, Assistant Professor of Economics 2006–13, Dartmouth College; Research Associate 2013–, Faculty Research Fellow 2004–13, Programs on Education, Development of the American Economy, and Children, NBER; Research Fellow 2005–, IZA; Assistant Professor of Economics 2003–06, University of California, Davis.
Degrees: Ph.D., Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 2003; A.B. summa cum laude, Economics, Franklin and Marshall College, 1997.
Publications: “Teacher Salaries and Racial Inequality in Educational Attainment in the Mid–Century South,” (with Lewis), Journal of Labor Economics, 2024; “Does Universal Preschool Hit the Target? Program Access and Preschool Impacts,” The Journal of Human Resources, 2023; “A Century of the American Woman Voter: Sex Gaps in Political Participation, Preferences, and Partisanship Since Women’s Enfranchisement,” (with Shenhav), JEP, 2020; “Distributing the Green (Cards): Permanent Residency and Personal Income Taxes After the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986,” (with Lewis), Journal of Public Economics, 2019; “Valuing the Vote: The Redistribution of Voting Rights and State Funds Following the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” (with Washington), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2014; “The Impacts of Expanding Access to High-Quality Preschool Education” (with Schanzenbach), Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2013; “Local Responses to Federal Grants: Evidence from the Introduction of Title I in the South,” (with Gordon and Reber), AEJ: Economic Policy, 2013; “Cracks in the Melting Pot: Immigration, School Choice, and Segregation,” (with Lewis), AEJ: Economic Policy, 2012; “Paying for Progress: Conditional Grants and the Desegregation of Southern Schools,” (with Gordon, Lewis, and Reber), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2010; “Maternal Labor Supply and the Introduction of Kindergartens into American Public Schools,” The Journal of Human Resources, 2009.
AEA Offices, Committee Memberships, and Honors: CeMENT Mentor for Junior Faculty, 2021; Ad Hoc Search Committee for Editor of AEJ: Economic Policy, 2022.
Other Affiliations and Honors: Dean of the Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentoring and Advising, Dartmouth College, 2024; Elected member of the Executive Board of the Society of Labor Economists (SOLE), 2022–24; Editor, Journal of Labor Economics, 2024–; International Editorial Board, ILR Review, 2019–; National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee, 2021–24; Editorial Board, Journal of Historical Political Economy, 2020–23; Co-Editor, Journal of Human Resources, 2014–19; Spencer Foundation Small Grants Review Committee, 2014–16; NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009–11; Visiting Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2007–09.
DAMON JONES, Associate Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
Statement of Purpose: It would be an honor to serve on the AEA Executive Committee. I have attended AEA meetings since 2005. One thing that I’ve valued about this organization is that anyone in the profession can join. My goal as a professional economist is to deliver on that promise and make the process of learning, researching, and teaching economics accessible to those who want to be a part of the field. I do not know how much impact any one executive committee member has, but my aim would be to continue opening the door to those who are interested and also working to have the AEA be reflective of and responsive to a broad, diverse, and engaged group of economists.
Previous and Present Positions: Associate Professor 2017– (tenured 2022), Assistant Professor 2010–16, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago; Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), 2009–10.
Degrees: Ph.D. Economics, 2009, University of California, Berkeley; B.A. Public Policy, 2003, Stanford University, minor in African and African-American Studies.
Publications: “The Behavioral Effect of Student Loan Debt: Evidence from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program” (with Jacob and Keys), Journal of Labor Economics, 2024; “The Short–Term Labor Supply Response to the Expanded Child Tax Credit” (with Enriquez and Tedeschi), AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2023; “Black Economists on Race and Policy: Contributions to Education, Poverty and Mobility, and Public Finance” (with Francis and Hardy), JEL, forthcoming; “The Labor Market Impacts of Universal and Permanent Cash Transfers: Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund” (with Marinescu) AEJ: Economic Policy, forthcoming; “Using Non–Linear Budget Sets to Estimate Extensive Margin Responses: Method and Evidence from the Social Security Test” (with Gelber, Sacks, and Song), AEJ: Applied Economics, forthcoming; “What Do Workplace Wellness Programs Do?” (with Molitor and Reif), The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2019; “Estimating Earnings Adjustment Frictions: Method and Evidence from the Social Security Earnings Test” (with Gelber and Sacks) AEJ: Applied Economics, 2020; “Inertia and Overwithholding: Explaining the Prevalence of Income Tax Refunds,” AEJ: Economic Policy, 2012; “Information, Preferences and Social Benefit Participation: Experimental Evidence from the Advance Earned Income Tax Credit and 401(k) Savings,” AEJ: Applied Economics, 2010, “Post–Baccalaureate Migration and Merit–Based Scholarships” (with Fitzpatrick), Economics of Education Review, 2016.
AEA Offices, Committees, and Honors: AEA Annual Meeting Program Committee, 2023; CSMGEP Graduate Student Mentor 2021–; Board of Editors, AEJ: Economic Policy, 2021–23; Excellence in Reviewing Award, AEJ: Economic Policy, 2021; Excellence in Refereeing Award, AER, 2013.
Other Affiliations and Honors: Research Associate, NBER (Public Economics, Aging); Associate Director, Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality & Mobility, University of Chicago; Co-Editor, Journal of Public Economics; Member, National Academy of Social Insurance; Board of Directors, National Tax Association; Editorial Advisory Board, National Tax Journal; Affiliated Professor, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL); Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin–Madison; 2020 Winner: National Institute of Health Care Management Annual Health Care Research Award.