# Betsey Stevenson

> Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy who has spent her career proving that the things people assume are soft - happiness, marriage, who does the dishes - are measurable, and that measuring them changes policy. She served as Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and as a member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, co-authored a bestselling Principles of Economics textbook, co-hosts the Think Like An Economist podcast, sits on Lyft's board, and is now turning her attention to what a post-AGI economy does to human flourishing.

- **Role:** Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- **Organizations:** University of Michigan (Ford School of Public Policy), National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Lyft, Inc. (board of directors), Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), CESifo / Ifo Institute, American Economic Association
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics and Mathematics, Wellesley College, M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers (2013-2015), Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor (2010-2011) during the recovery from the Great Recession, Co-author of the widely adopted 'Principles of Economics' textbook (with Justin Wolfers)

## Career timeline

- **1993** — Earned B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Wellesley College; worked as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve
- **2001** — Completed Ph.D. in Economics at Harvard, advised by Claudia Goldin, Lawrence Katz, and Caroline Hoxby
- **2004-2010** — Assistant Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **2008** — Published 'Reassessing the Easterlin Paradox' with Justin Wolfers, challenging the idea that growth doesn't raise well-being
- **2010-2011** — Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Hilda Solis
- **2011-2012** — Visiting Assistant Professor at Princeton University
- **2012** — Joined the Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- **2013-2015** — Member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers
- **2020-2021** — Economic advisor / volunteer on the Biden-Harris presidential transition team
- **2023** — Appointed to the board of directors of Lyft, Inc.
- **2025** — Published the chapter 'What Is There to Fear in a Post-AGI World?' in The Economics of Transformative AI (University of Chicago Press / NBER)

## Achievements

- Member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers (2013-2015)
- Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor (2010-2011) during the recovery from the Great Recession
- Co-author of the widely adopted 'Principles of Economics' textbook (with Justin Wolfers)
- Co-host of the 'Think Like An Economist' podcast
- John T. Dunlop Outstanding Scholar Award, Labor and Employment Relations Association (2010)
- Presidential Award for Public Engagement, University of Michigan (2023)
- Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research
- Columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and commentator for public radio's Marketplace

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Published a New York Times guest essay analyzing the Trump administration's economic policies.
- **2025-01** — Contributed the chapter 'What Is There to Fear in a Post-AGI World?' to the NBER volume The Economics of Transformative AI.
- **2023-01** — Joined the board of directors of Lyft and received the University of Michigan Presidential Award for Public Engagement.

## Links

- Website: https://betseystevenson.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsey-stevenson-46792a2/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/BetseyStevenson

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/betsey-stevenson
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Last updated: 2026-06-02