Ideas Made to Matter
To 'build back better,' invest in R&D, researchers say
Roads and bridges are a start, but 21st century job creation needs federal research and development in U.S. cities with potential, these authors say.
Aug 11, 2021
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Simon Johnson
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SIMON JOHNSON is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he is head of the Global Economics and Management group. In 2007-08 he was chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, and he currently co-chairs the CFA Institute® Systemic Risk Council. In February 2021, Johnson joined the board of directors of Fannie Mae.
Johnson’s most recent book, with Jon Gruber, Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream, explains how to create millions of good new jobs around the U.S., through renewed public investment in research and development. This proposal has attracted bipartisan support.
Johnson was previously a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., a cofounder of BaselineScenario.com, and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee. From July 2014 to 2017, Johnson was a member of the Financial Research Advisory Committee of the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Research (OFR), within which he chaired the Global Vulnerabilities Working Group.
“The Quiet Coup” received over a million views when it appeared in The Atlantic in early 2009. His book 13 Bankers: the Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown (with James Kwak), was an immediate bestseller and has become one of the mostly highly regarded books on the financial crisis. Their follow-up book on U.S. fiscal policy, White House Burning: The Founding Fathers, Our National Debt, and Why It Matters for You, won praise across the political spectrum. Johnson’s academic research on economic development, corporate finance, political economy, and public health is widely cited.
“For his articulate and outspoken support for public policies to end too-big-to-fail”, Johnson was named a Main Street Hero by the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) in 2013.
IMPORTANT: For any media or appointment requests to Professor Johnson please be sure to copy Michelle Fiorenza: fiorenza@mit.edu.
Honors
Johnson wins Jamieson Prize
Publications
"Transitioning out of the Coronavirus Lockdown: A Framework for Zone-Based Social Distancing."
Friedman, Eric, John Friedman, Simon Johnson, and Adam Landsberg, MIT Sloan Working Paper 6097-20. Cambridge, MA: MIT Sloan School of Management, April 2020.
Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream.
Gruber, Jonathan, and Simon Johnson. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2019.
"What Countries and Companies Can Do When Trade and Cybersecurity Overlap."
Madnick, Stuart, Simon Johnson, and Keman Huang. Harvard Business Review, January 4, 2019.
The Impact of Blockchain Technology on Finance: A Catalyst for Change.
Casey, Michael, Jonah Crane, Gary Gensler, Simon Johnson, and Neha Narula. Geneva, Switzerland: Center for Economic Policy Research, 2018.
"The Financial Stability Oversight Council: An Essential Role for the Evolving US Financial System."
Simon Johnson and Antonio Weiss. Policy Brief 17-20. Washington, DC: May 2017.
African Successes, Volume I: Government and Institutions.
Edwards, Sebastian, Simon Johnson, and David N. Weil (Eds.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2016.
Recent Insights
Ideas Made to Matter
A COVID-19 playbook for nursing homes
Download the MIT COVID-19 Policy Alliance’s new report for nursing facility leaders and policymakers.
Nov 2, 2020
Media Highlights
Press
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Project Syndicate (Opinion Piece)
America comes roaring back
"An air of pessimism about the future of the American economy pervades some official circles in the U.S. ... It's time to dispel it.”
Press
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Project Syndicate (Opinion Piece)
Russia's looming defeat in Ukraine
"The pre-invasion Russian economy was based on energy exports supported by foreign direct investment. ... All of this is fading fast."
Press
Source:
Bloomberg | Balance of Power (Audio)
How would Russian oil cap work?
Prof. Simon Johnson discusses the proposal that would seek to cap the price of Russian oil.
Press
Source:
The New York Times
Russian strike on Kyiv looms over G7 summit
"The Russians have been quite cynically manipulating gas markets and oil markets, so this would be a chance to turn the tables."
Executive Education
Executive Education Course
Economics for Business
This eight-week online program offers you the opportunity to explore macroeconomics from a business perspective, guided by renowned economist Professor Roberto Rigobon.
- Oct 5-Dec 6, 2022