Professor of Public Policy and Economics (on sabbatical leave)
Wolfers is an economist with broad policy-related interests and experience. He is also affiliated with the NBER, Brookings and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He is a contributing columnist for the New York Times and host of the “Think Like An Economist” podcast. He is a popular teacher and author of a leading economics textbook.
From A.I. to zero emissions
Ford School faculty host and are featured in a variety of podcasts, covering policy topics from artificial intelligence, everyday economics, national security, and more.
My job has always been to demonstrate to...
Over this past summer, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the Ford School, was widely interviewed on the state of the economy and the American public's reactions to its performance.
Here are highlights from his media...
Justin Wolfers, CNN: “So I will tell you as an economist, I believe the hard numbers. The hard numbers tell us that the economy’s growing and it’s growing at a healthy rate. If you’d fallen asleep in 2019 and you woke up in 2023, you would discover...
Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers says U.S. politicians are responsible for the recent downgrading of the country's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating by Fitch Ratings, from AAA to AA+.
Wolfers told International...
Justin Wolfers, Marketplace: Downbeat indicators don’t tell the whole story. Take consumers, said Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan. They might say they’re pessimistic about the economy.
“But if you look at what...
Ford School economics professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers shared their “joyous” take on economics in a recent McKinsey Global Institute Forward Thinking podcast.
Here are some excerpts from their wide-ranging discussion:
Betsey...
Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers has been saying that a recession does not seem likely, given continuing strong employment numbers. The threat of a default, on the other hand, could have been disastrous. Here are some excerpts of his...
Justin Wolfers, MSNBC: What do companies want to do? They want to sell stuff. And if you make things with rainbow flags, they'll be happy to sell it. We do have groups all the time that protest by boycotting and that's their democratic right to do....
Ford School experts share insights as the clock ticks down toward a U.S. government default—and whether a deal can keep a financial concern from devolving into a full-blown crisis.
They discuss where things stand with the debt-limit debate...
Justin Wolfers, NPR All Things Considered: "Just like your family has to live within a budget, you might say you want Congress to live within a budget, but defaulting on the debt does not reduce our spending. It just means we stiff our creditors. So...
Amid encouraging economic indicators, bank failures, and an impending debt limit crisis, Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers has been commenting across the media.
The debt limit debate taking place in Congress and in negotiation with...
Betsey Stevenson uses the tools of her trade to empower people and improve lives
By Daniel Rivkin
An early March ice storm in Michigan caused widespread power outages and disruptions for hundreds of thousands of households. Families had to...
Justin Wolfers, ABC Australia: If a deal isn't reached, a lot of people on Wall Street are warning of very severe circumstances, a financial crisis, which would trigger a recession, which would lead to widespread joblessness. I want to be more...
Justin Wolfers, Axios: "People find value in using their tax refunds as a forced saving device," economist Justin Wolfers wrote Axios in an email. "If the money were readily available, they might spend it. This way they can get a big check from the...
Justin Wolfers, Foreign Affairs: "The economy definitely could fall into recession—there is always a risk—but it is worth remembering that it is never a certainty. The only time horizon over which economists have a good record in predicting...
Justin Wolfers, Fast Politics: "Because of a much broader and much harder truth, which is that even if you're the most fervent believer in market forces, well-run markets require regulation. And nowhere is that more clearly the case than when...
Justin Wolfers, CNN: "I think the simple view is you can't do two things at the same time. And to try to reduce financial stress would be a force for lower interest rates while trying to reduce inflation would lead to higher interest rates. On the...
The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) set off alarms in the financial sector, with flashbacks to the 2008 financial crisis and increased worries about an impending recession. Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, both professors of public...
Justin Wolfers, WDIV: "My summary is what a little ripper. Last month, we were extraordinary. So we aren't extraordinary two months in a row, we're merely very good. This is the sort of job growth that maybe we've gotten used to over the past couple...
Justin Wolfers, BBC: "The best forecast for the future state of the economy is the current state and the current state is good. There's a recessionary vibe, but there's no recessionary...
The average amount the Tooth Fairy gives children has jumped by 16%, to $6.23. Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, discussed the economics behind the rise.
"The children of America are getting what their parents are not:...
As concerns about the economy continue, one economist is optimistic. Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, recently talked with NPR to discuss his economic analysis and predictions.
"You're talking to an economist who is going...
Justin Wolfers, NPR: "We're celebrating unemployment being at a 50-year low. This is only three years after the scariest economic moment of my lifetime. If you had said in three short years we'll yield an unemployment rate that earlier generations...
The U.S. economic recovery from the significant setbacks of the pandemic has seen inflationary pressure from supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine, among other factors. Justin Wolfers, Ford School professor of public policy and...
Justin Wolfers, Michigan Radio: "The U.S. economy is now creating jobs at a rate that is unimaginably positive. 2022 was the second fastest rate of job creation in American...
Justin Wolfers, Vox: "If you want a dramatic one-word answer, the answer is yes. Unemployment’s at a 50-year low, that’s the standard metric for thinking about how the economy is performing. Job growth is continuing, so it’s not only good, it’s...
Justin Wolfers, One News Page: "The person who raises your credit card limit is the credit card company. It's the lender. Speaker McCarthy is part of the government. The government is the borrower. The only choice the borrower makes, and we all face...
Justin Wolfers, WDET 101.9: "Inflation was distressing. Right now, it may still be a little distressing. The future looks like it's going to be a whole lot less distressing. The Fed's worried because inflation still is above its target level. It...
Justin Wolfers, In the Bubble: "(Inflation’s) almost certainly peaked. That’s the mainstream view among both Wall Street and academic economists right now. The Fed’s own forecasts show that it expects inflation to fall relatively dramatically over...
