Political Economy

Melissa Dell

Melissa Dell

Andrew E. Furer Professor of Economics

Melissa Dell is a former Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and a Global Scholar in the Institutions, Organizations and Growth program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Melissa's research focuses on the interplay between the state, non-state actors, and economic development. In particular, she has examined the relationship between government crackdowns and drug violence in Mexico, as well as the persistence of poverty in Mexico and Peru.... Read more about Melissa Dell

Littauer Center M-24
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138
p: 617-384-7272
Ben Friedman

Benjamin Friedman

William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy
On Leave Spring 2024

Benjamin M. Friedman's latest book is The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, published in 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf. His best known previous book is Day of Reckoning: The Consequences of American Economic Policy Under Reagan and After, which received the George S. Eccles Prize, awarded annually by Columbia University for excellence in writing about economics. He has also written extensively on economic policy, and in particular on the role of the financial markets in shaping how monetary and fiscal policies affect overall economic activity.... Read more about Benjamin Friedman

Littauer Center 127
p: 617-496-5464
Ed Glaeser

Edward Glaeser

Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics
Department Chair

Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1992. He regularly teaches microeconomics theory, and occasionally urban and public economics. He has served as Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, and Director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. He has published dozens of papers on cities economic growth, law, and economics. In particular, his work has focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1992.

Faculty Assistant: Jamie Murray

Littauer Center 315a
p: 617-495-0575
Elhanan Helpman

Elhanan Helpman

Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade

Elhanan Helpman's contributions include studies of the balance of payments, exchange rate regimes, stabilization programs and foreign debt, international trade, economic growth and political economy. He is a cofounder of the "new trade theory'' and the "new growth theory,'' which emphasize the roles of economies of scale and imperfect competition. His current research is reflected in his latest books, Understanding Global Trade and Globalization and Inequality.

Faculty Assisstant: Ursula Ferraro

Littauer Center 217
p: 617-495-4690
Jeff Miron

Jeffrey Miron

Senior Lecturer on Economics
Director of Graduate Studies
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Jeffrey Miron’s field of expertise is the economics of libertarianism. He has advocated for many libertarian policies, including legalizing all...

Read more about Jeffrey Miron
Littauer Center 235
p: 617-495-4129
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday,10:30 - 12:00, or by appointment
Stefanie Stantcheva

Stefanie Stantcheva

Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy

Stefanie Stantcheva is a Professor at Harvard University. She is a former Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 2014. Stefanie's research focuses on the optimal design of the tax system, taking into account important labor market features, more complex social preferences, and long-term effects such as human capital acquisition and productive investments by firms.

 

Staff Support: Ann Richards

Littauer Center 232
p: 617-496-2614