President Obama Appoints Betsey Stevenson to the CEA
Some big news: the White House has recently announced that the newest member of the Council of Economic Advisers will be my favorite economist, and a long-time friend of this blog, Betsey Stevenson. She’ll be joining Harvard’s Jim Stock and the newly announced CEA Chairman, Jason Furman on the three-member council, which serves as the President’s main source of advice on economic policy.
When I say that I’m thrilled about this news, I’m speaking not just as a dismal scientist, but also as Betsey’s co-author, colleague, co-parent and domestic partner. The CEA has a special role as a bridge between ivory tower academic economists and the levers of public policy. They’re our best hope for ensuring that the sharpest insights of economists can elbow past the political machinations that dominate D.C., and the list of past CEA members reads like a who’s who of the economics profession. And there’s never been a more important time to be working as a labor economist than during a period of mass unemployment.
Honestly, I’m about as proud as an economist is allowed to be.