Jared Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Jared Bernstein is an American economist who previously served as Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to Vice President
Joseph Biden in the Obama Administration. In early 2009 Bernstein was named Executive Director of the newly formed White House Middle Class Working Families Task Force
. He was also a member of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry
. Bernstein is considered to represent a liberal, pro-labor perspective.
, and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music
with Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts where he studied double bass
with Orin O'Brien
. He earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from the Hunter School of Social Work, and, from Columbia University
, he received a Masters Degree in Philosophy and Ph.D. in Social Welfare.
, income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, low-wage labor markets, poverty, and international comparisons." He is known as a critic of free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). He has taught at Howard University
, Columbia University and New York University
. In 1992, he was hired at the Economic Policy Institute
(EPI), a think tank with ties to organized labor and a focus on issues affecting low- and middle-income workers. From 1995-1996, he served in the Department of Labor as Deputy Chief Economist. He then returned to the EPI, where he was senior economist and director of the Living Standards Program when selected by Biden.
He sits on the Congressional Budget Office
's advisory committee and is employed as contributor at the financial news network CNBC
. His designated job on the Vice Presidential staff is a new position, created because of "the critical nature of the economic challenges facing America." Upon his appointment, journalists noted that he holds more liberal views than many of Obama's economic advisers. He also was appointed the Executive Director of the Middle Class Working Families Task Force
and is responsible for direct management of the project. Paul Krugman
, a Nobel
laureate in economics and a noted liberal columnist, argued in November 2008 that, given the centrist makeup of President Barack Obama
's economic inner circle, the new Economic Recovery Advisory Board
could be used to "give progressive economists a voice," and mentioned Bernstein and fellow EPI economist, and EPI president, Lawrence Mishel
among others as progressive economists who might be suitable for the board.
Bernstein left the Obama Administration in 2011, and joined the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
as a senior fellow.
and Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries)
. He coauthored the last nine editions of "The State of Working America" as well as "The Benefits of Full Employment: When Markets Work for People."
He is a regular columnist for the American Prospect online, and he has published op-eds in the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has also written diaries on the Daily Kos.
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Joseph Biden in the Obama Administration. In early 2009 Bernstein was named Executive Director of the newly formed White House Middle Class Working Families Task Force
Middle Class Working Families Task Force
The Middle Class Working Families Task Force is a United States Federal Government initiative, established in 2009 via presidential memorandum. It was one of the earliest innovations of the Obama-Biden administration...
. He was also a member of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry
Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry
The Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry is an ad hoc group of United States cabinet-level and other officials that was formed to deal with the financial bail out of automakers Chrysler Corporation and General Motors....
. Bernstein is considered to represent a liberal, pro-labor perspective.
Education
Bernstein attended Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, ConnecticutRidgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
, and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
with Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts where he studied double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
with Orin O'Brien
Orin O'Brien
Orin O'Brien is an American double bassist. She has been a member of the New York Philharmonic since joining in 1966 under the direction of Leonard Bernstein and was the first woman to join the orchestra in its history...
. He earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from the Hunter School of Social Work, and, from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, he received a Masters Degree in Philosophy and Ph.D. in Social Welfare.
Career
Bernstein's areas of interest include "federal, state and international economic policies, specifically the middle class squeezeMiddle class squeeze
The middle class squeeze is the situation where increases in wages fail to keep up with inflation for middle income earners, while at the same time, the phenomenon fails to have a similar impact on the top wage earners...
, income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, low-wage labor markets, poverty, and international comparisons." He is known as a critic of free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA). He has taught at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Columbia University and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. In 1992, he was hired at the Economic Policy Institute
Economic Policy Institute
The Economic Policy Institute is a 501 non-profit, liberal, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy...
(EPI), a think tank with ties to organized labor and a focus on issues affecting low- and middle-income workers. From 1995-1996, he served in the Department of Labor as Deputy Chief Economist. He then returned to the EPI, where he was senior economist and director of the Living Standards Program when selected by Biden.
He sits on the Congressional Budget Office
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides economic data to Congress....
's advisory committee and is employed as contributor at the financial news network CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. His designated job on the Vice Presidential staff is a new position, created because of "the critical nature of the economic challenges facing America." Upon his appointment, journalists noted that he holds more liberal views than many of Obama's economic advisers. He also was appointed the Executive Director of the Middle Class Working Families Task Force
Middle Class Working Families Task Force
The Middle Class Working Families Task Force is a United States Federal Government initiative, established in 2009 via presidential memorandum. It was one of the earliest innovations of the Obama-Biden administration...
and is responsible for direct management of the project. Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
, a Nobel
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate in economics and a noted liberal columnist, argued in November 2008 that, given the centrist makeup of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's economic inner circle, the new Economic Recovery Advisory Board
President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
The President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, originally the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, is a panel of non-governmental experts from business, labor, academia and elsewhere that President of the United States Barack Obama created on February 6, 2009. The board reports...
could be used to "give progressive economists a voice," and mentioned Bernstein and fellow EPI economist, and EPI president, Lawrence Mishel
Lawrence Mishel
Lawrence Mishel is president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., a progressive think-tank that seeks to advance the interests of American workers...
among others as progressive economists who might be suitable for the board.
Bernstein left the Obama Administration in 2011, and joined the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a non-profit think tank that describes itself as a "policy organization ... working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals."The Center examines the short- and...
as a senior fellow.
Publications
Bernstein's books include All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair EconomyAll Together Now (book)
All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy is a book written by Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and published in 2006. In it, Bernstein lays the groundwork of what he argues are deep-rooted problems within the U.S...
and Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries)
Crunch (book)
Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? is a book written by Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and published in 2008. In it, Bernstein offers a layman's introduction to how the U.S. economic system works...
. He coauthored the last nine editions of "The State of Working America" as well as "The Benefits of Full Employment: When Markets Work for People."
He is a regular columnist for the American Prospect online, and he has published op-eds in the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has also written diaries on the Daily Kos.