The government’s rules and administration play a central role in shaping the conduct, stability, and growth of the macroeconomy. Building an equitable and sustainable economy—one that works for all—means reimagining our macroeconomic goals and rethinking how our monetary and fiscal policy tools can help achieve them.
The Roosevelt Institute’s macroeconomic analysis team is leading the way, conducting original research and data analysis and engaging with economic theory to answer central questions about the state of our economy:target levels of output, employment, inflation, and speed of growth.
An essential precondition for a more just, inclusive, and egalitarian society is full employment. Full employment gives workers a stronger hand in bargaining, it allows for the rapid transition out of carbon production, and it helps collapse forms of persistent labor market discrimination. As a popular banner at the Civil Rights March of 1963 described, “Civil Rights Plus Full Employment Equals Freedom.” This team takes this responsibility seriously, advocating for full employment both for the benefits it would directly bring to all workers, especially Black and brown workers, and the ways it can help to build a better future for all.
When it comes to managing the economy and bringing about full employment, the US is going through a profound intellectual revolution. Since the onset of the pandemic, governments across the world have worked to stabilize incomes with monetary and fiscal policies far more aggressive than the austere responses of the neoliberal era. As a result, the pandemic has led to far less economic disruption than was initially feared, and the US is now poised for a strong recovery. Our work is dedicated to making sure this recovery is both sustained and equitable.
Our Macroeconomic Analysis Team
Joseph Stiglitz
Chief Economist and Senior FellowAs chief economist and senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, Joseph Stiglitz focuses on income distribution, risk, corporate governance, public policy, macroeconomics, and globalization.
Michael Madowitz
Principal EconomistMichael Madowitz is the principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute, shaping economic strategy across programmatic areas.
Stephen Nuñez
Director, Stratification EconomicsAs director of stratification economics, Stephen Nuñez leads research on systemic inequalities in the economy and the ways public policy has perpetuated them.
William Alexander Darity Jr.
Senior FellowAs a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, William Alexander Darity Jr. focuses his research on stratification economics and reparations for Black American descendants of US slavery.
Paul Krugman
Senior FellowAs a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, Paul Krugman focuses on macroeconomic and trade policy with an eye toward a bold, progressive economic vision for the United States.
Jessica Calarco
Fellow, Stratification EconomicsAs a Roosevelt Institute fellow, Jessica Calarco works on developing a post-neoliberal approach to policy work intended to address structural inequalities and repair trust in public institutions by centering the politics of care.
Sarah Jane Glynn
Fellow, Macroeconomic AnalysisAs a Roosevelt Institute fellow, Sarah Jane (SJ) Glynn researches workers’ experiences in the labor market, particularly the experiences of women, all workers of color, and workers in low-paid jobs.
Jamie Keene
Fellow, Stratification EconomicsAs a Roosevelt fellow, Jamie Keene works at the intersection of economic and racial justice, with a focus on democracy and the role of the social safety net.
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
Graduate Fellow, MacroeconomicsAnna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman is a doctoral candidate at Harvard Kennedy School studying public policy and economics.
Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana
Fellow, Stratification EconomicsAs a Roosevelt fellow, Zawadi Ricks-Ahidiana researches racial wealth inequality and particularly how housing and financial literacy policies fail to address the racial wealth gap.