Ben Harris

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Vice President and Director of Economic Studies, Brookings Institution
Former Chief Economist of the Treasury Department & Advisor to President Biden
Author

Prominent economist and author Ben Harris is Vice President and Director of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. Harris recently served as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Chief Economist with the U.S. Treasury Department. In this role, Harris was a close adviser to Secretary Yellen, the Administration’s lead official on the price cap on Russian oil, and a key staffer in the development of the Build Back Better legislation. Harris has been a long-time advisor to President Biden, serving as his chief economist in the Obama White House and acting as the senior economic advisor to the Biden campaign. The New York Times called him "the quiet architect of Biden's plan to rescue the economy." Harris has been sought-after for speaking events at the Argus European Crude Conference, MIT Sloan Business School, Harvard Kenney School, American Enterprise Institute, among many others.

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, in addition to serving as the chief economist to the evidence-based policy organization Results for America. Harris recently published The Retirement Challenge with Martin N. Bailey, addressing some of the most vexing problems facing the American retirement system. Harris has also published a variety of academic papers and policy briefs related to topics in public finance and has been regularly cited in media reports related to fiscal policy. His op-eds have been widely published, including frequent publication in the Wall Street Journal. Earlier in his career, he was the policy director of The Hamilton Project, a fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, and deputy director of the Retirement Security Project.

Covering a wide variety of key topics, Harris is an expert on such timely topics as the macroeconomic economic outlook, Biden Administration policy, global energy markets and the price cap on Russian oil, the debt ceiling, and Congressional negotiations.

Ben Harris - Assessing the Russian Oil Price Cap | American Enterprise Inst. - Get Sharable Link

Ben Harris - Assessing the Russian Oil Price Cap | American Enterprise Inst.

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HEARING: Aging Americans and a Waning Workforce: Demographic Drivers of our Deficit

Ben Harris - Oil and Russia’s War Against Ukraine: The Historic Effort to Cap Russian Oil Revenue | Becker Friedman Inst., U. Chicago

Ben Harris - How are federal policies affecting seniors and retirees in a post-COVID world? | Brookings Institution

Ben Harris in conversation about putting a price cap on Russian oil | Belfer Center

Ben Harris - Competition in the Labor Market: Challenges and Paths Forward | Bipartisan Policy Center

Ben Harris: The Positive Economic Growth Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act | Congressional Testimony to Joint Economic Committee

Ben Harris: The Debt Limit and Threats to the U.S. Economy | Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Talks & Conversations with Ben Harris

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Macroeconomics & the Economy’s General Outlook

As the Treasury Department’s chief economic, BEN HARRIS’ focus was on macroeconomics and the economy’s general outlook – both with regards to international volatility and the impact on American consumers. From key headline issues such as the looming debt ceiling crisis and the ongoing debate over the Russian oil price cap, Harris offers a decisive and substantial perspective that provides clear insights for individuals and organizations.

Biden Administration Policy Agenda

In this talk, BEN HARRIS leverages his role as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Chief Economist with the U.S. Treasury Department to speak to the impacts, opportunities, and challenges of the Biden Administration’s policy agenda.

A Plan for America’s Outdated Retirement System

Influential former White House economist BEN HARRIS is an expert in America’s outdated retirement system, and what needs to change for America’s seniors and retirees. Harris explores how improving retirement requires changes by families, employers, and policymakers alike, and how despite today’s wide political divide we all play a role in ensuring a secure and prosperous future for everyone.

Ben Harris completed a stint as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Chief Economist with the U.S. Treasury Department in March 2023. In this role, Harris was a close adviser to Secretary Yellen, the Administration’s lead official on the price cap on Russian oil, and a key staffer in the development of the Build Back Better legislation.

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, in addition to serving as the chief economist to the evidence-based policy organization Results for America. He was also the senior advisor to the Biden campaign, where he was a lead contributor to the development of the Biden platform and featured surrogate for economic issues. He recently published a book titled The Retirement Challenge, with Martin N. Bailey, addressing some of the most vexing problems facing the American retirement system.

Earlier in his career, he served as the chief economist and economic adviser to then-Vice President Joe Biden, was the policy director of The Hamilton Project, a fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, and deputy director of the Retirement Security Project.

In addition, Harris was a senior research associate with the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Prior to joining the Urban Institute, Harris worked at the White House as a senior economist with the Council of Economic Advisers, where he specialized in fiscal policy and retirement security. He has also served as a research economist at the Brookings Institution and as a senior economist with the Budget Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Harris has also taught as an adjunct professor at the policy schools at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University.

Harris' has published a variety of academic papers and policy briefs related to topics in public finance and has been regularly cited in media reports related to fiscal policy. His op-eds have been widely published, including frequent publication in the Wall Street Journal.

He holds a Ph.D. in economics from George Washington University, in addition to a master's degree in economics from Cornell University and a master's degree in quantitative methods from Columbia University. He earned his BA in economics at Tufts University. In 2000, Harris was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Namibia.

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