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...
On an ABC Australia review on the current economic state of the U.S. and the outlook on what's to come for business owners and CEOs. the Ford School's Justin Wolfers stated the Trump Administration's economic policies have "raised the possibility...
Ford School professor and economist Justin Wolfers discussed the impacts of tariffs, uncertainty, and consumer sentiment on the US economy with several news outlets last week. Wolfers highlighted the response the stock market had to tariffs and what...
Elon Musk shared on social platform X, that almost 20 million people over age 100, with no death record, were receiving Social Security benefits. The Ford School's Justin Wolfers quickly jumped in to assert the falsehood in Musk's claims.Responding...
Speaking with MSNBC discussing President Trump's first month in office, the Ford School's Justin Wolfers illustrates the shortcomings of Trump's policies and the DOGE agency. Since DOGE has promised to cut federal spending by trillions, Wolfers...
The Federal Reserve Bank is set to lower rates as the economy stabilizes over the next few months. Speaking with The New York Times, the Ford School's Justin Wolfers cautioned businesses about these changes and the adaptations of the labor market...
Fixating on the early actions of the Trump administration, Justin Wolfers spoke with MSNBC on President Trump's imposed tariff policy. Wolfers explained how China has pushed back on the tariff policy. "China has levied a bunch of retaliation...
As President Trump doubles down on his threats for tariffs on foreign trade, the Ford School's Justin Wolfers isn't sure his tactics work economically. Wolfers told CNN, “Trump announces tariffs, so markets fall. Trump walks back tariffs, markets...
Justin Wolfers, Economist and Ford School professor talked with ABC Oz about possible the Trump administration tariffs. When if Trump would put tariffs on Australia Wolfers says "There's nothing you can do but guess with this guy" a nod to...
Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers told Bloomberg TV's The Close that one of the biggest consequences of tariffs with Canada and Mexico could be on the many cross-border transactions that happen in the production of many consumer...
After winning Time magazine's person of the year, president-elect Donald Trump said, "It's very hard" to lower the cost of groceries. Throughout his campaign lowering prices at the grocery store and gas pump was a platform Trump ran on. The Ford...
In a major recent New York Times article, the Ford School’s Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers represented the center-left in a discussion on economics with center-right economic advisors from the Trump administration, Jay Clayton and Gary Cohn. In...
Controversy arises as the Federal Reserve decides whether to cut interest rates less than 50 days before an election. Justin Wolfers argues the Fed should be "responding to the data, rather than the electoral cycle, or the demand of either side of...
With the upcoming presidential election, media outlets are quoting Ford School's Justin Wolfers insights on the top concern for Americans this November: the economy. Wolfers comments on economic progress in America and the expected economic...
Recent job reports have not offered a definitive answer on how much the Fed is expected to cut interest rates. Justin Wolfers of the Ford School mentioned, "There’s nothing in this report that would turn optimists pessimistic... Would it turn...
"They’re unpredictable, volatile and prone to sharp emotional swings. They have short attention spans and find change difficult because they are frequently scared of new things or overly enthusiastic about them. They’re impulsive, demand attention...
“The most likely explanation for our findings is that Black—and to a lesser extent Hispanic—families were more concerned about the health risks associated with in-person schooling than white families. This is consistent with the fact that nonwhite...
The University of Michigan has published an experts guide to the 2024 elections. Ford School faculty are available to offer insights on relevant issues impacting the elections, including the following:
Economics
Betsey Stevenson, professor of...
What’s on the barbie?
Economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson were on the guest list as the White House hosted a State Dinner for Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October.
Skills match
More than fifty...
Justin Wolfers, The Economic Times: Q. What do you consider the world’s greatest economic challenge today?
A. The most immediate one encompasses the tremendous disruptions of global warming and trying to transition to a greener economy. These...
Justin Wolfers, Axios: Women were "barely thought of, if at all," in economists' past labor market empirical analysis says Justin Wolfers, an economist at the University of Michigan. Plus, where it was standard for men to study men in the labor...
The threat of inflation seems to be receding and the possibility of a 'soft landing' is improving, according to a panel of economists at the Ford School.
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy Brad DeLong, and Ford...
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...
