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Ben Harris

Vice President and Director – Economic Studies

Ben Harris is vice president and director of the Economic Studies program. He most recently served as assistant secretary for economic policy and chief economist at the U.S. Treasury Department. Prior to joining Treasury, Harris was the executive director of the Kellogg Public-Private Initiative and a research associate professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Earlier in his career, Harris held several other senior positions in government, including chief economist and economic adviser to then-Vice President Joe Biden, senior economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and senior economist with the Budget Committee in the U.S House of Representatives. Harris also previously worked at Brookings in various roles including policy director of the Hamilton Project, deputy director of the Retirement Security Project, fellow and research economist in Economic Studies, and senior research associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Harris has taught as an adjunct professor at the policy schools at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University and was the senior economic adviser to Rokos Capital Management. Harris’s primary areas of research focus are fiscal policy and retirement policy. He has published papers and policy briefs on a range of topics in public finance and is regularly cited in the media. Along with Brookings Senior Fellow Emeritus Martin Baily, Harris recently published the book The Retirement Challenge that proposes a new paradigm for retirement in the United States. Harris holds a doctoral degree in economics from George Washington University, a master’s degree in economics from Cornell University, and a master’s degree in quantitative methods from Columbia University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at Tufts University. In 2000, Harris was a Fulbright scholar in Namibia.

  • Past Positions

    • Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Treasury
    • Executive Director of the Kellogg Public-Private Initiative, Northwestern University
  • Education

    • Ph.D. in economics, George Washington University
    • Master’s degree in economics, Cornell University
    • Master’s degree in quantitative methods, Columbia University
    • BA in economics, Tufts University

In the media

Yahoo! News September 26, 2024

Bloomberg quotes Ben Harris on the importance of the business community for a potential Harris administration.

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CNBC August 16, 2024

Ben Harris joins CNBC Squawk Box to discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic agenda and her speech laying out plans to tackle price gouging and the U.S. housing shortage.

Bloomberg July 24, 2024

Ben Harris lays out the economic policy priorities that Vice President Kamala Harris is most likely to advocate as she campaigns for president.

New York Times July 7, 2024

Research by Ben Harris and Robin Brooks on tightening sanctions on Russia’s oil fleet is cited in a story about the Treasury Department’s interest in new penalties.

Yahoo! Finance May 13, 2024

Ben Harris joins Yahoo! Finance to discuss the Federal Reserve’s battle against inflation, and how the Fed’s credibility could have a bad influence on consumer behavior.

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