# Justin Wolfers

> Justin Wolfers is an Australian-American economist who turns dense data into plain talk for the rest of us. A professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ford School, he co-hosts the Think Like an Economist podcast with his partner Betsey Stevenson, writes the Platypus Economics newsletter, and is one of the most quoted economic voices in American media. His work spans macroeconomics, labor markets, prediction markets, sports, and the surprisingly stubborn question of whether money buys happiness (his answer: more than people think).

- **Role:** Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- **Organizations:** University of Michigan (Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy), Peterson Institute for International Economics, Brookings Institution, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), CEPR, IZA - Institute of Labor Economics
- **From:** Papua New Guinea
- **Nationality:** Australian-American
- **Education:** Secondary education, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Sydney, Bachelor of Economics, University of Sydney, MA in Economics, Harvard University, PhD in Economics, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Ford School, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Fulbright Scholar

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Worked as an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia before pursuing graduate study
- **2001** — Completed PhD in Economics at Harvard; became assistant professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **2004** — Joined the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, eventually as associate professor of business and public policy
- **2007** — Named by David Leonhardt as one of 13 young economists shaping the future of the field
- **2009** — Began editing the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (through 2015)
- **2012** — Moved to the University of Michigan as professor of economics and public policy, alongside partner Betsey Stevenson
- **2014** — Named by the IMF as one of 25 brightest young economists expected to shape world thinking
- **2019** — Published Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics textbooks with Betsey Stevenson
- **2020** — Launched the Think Like an Economist podcast with Betsey Stevenson
- **2026** — Launched the Platypus Economics newsletter on Substack

## Achievements

- Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Ford School
- Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Fulbright Scholar
- Named one of 13 young economists shaping the future of economics by David Leonhardt (2007)
- Named one of the 25 brightest young economists by the IMF (2014)
- Co-author of widely adopted Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics textbooks
- Editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (2009-2015)
- Contributing columnist for The New York Times (The Upshot) and The Wall Street Journal

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Published commentary giving two reasons for optimism about the economy via the Ford School.
- **2026** — Launched the Platypus Economics newsletter on Substack.

## Links

- Website: https://users.nber.org/~jwolfers/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-wolfers-6aa390/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/JustinWolfers
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/justinwolfers.bsky.social
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.wolfers/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/justin-wolfers
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02