Jim Poterba to Head National Bureau of Economic Research

An excellent choice...

Comments

[Sean Carroll]

Jim Poterba preceded me on the Pennsbury High School debate team by about a decade. He won the national championship in his senior year. A hard example to live up to.

[wasab]

Did you happen to notice that the government is attempting to save our hard earned tax dollars by eliminating this website: http://www.economicindicators.gov/

Mission Statement: The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) is the bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce where economic and social change is chronicled, understood, and explained. Many political and business decisions are based upon the economic and demographic information produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Census Bureau, and STAT-USA. ESA has three primary missions: 1) maintain the highest possible quality Federal statistical system and make improvements where warranted and feasible, 2) communicate a vision of the key forces at work in the economy and of the opportunities they create for improving the well-being of all Americans, and 3) support the information and analytical needs of the Department and the Executive Branch.

[Ken Houghton]

Better than the guy who wouldn't take it for tax reasons, to be certain.

[jayackroyd]

Jim also won novice nationals in college, his freshman year, before quitting the Harvard Debate team to focus on his studies.

[jayackroyd]

I suppose nobody will read this, but, you know, Poterba is one of my personal heroes. Everything that has come to him has been earned, through dedication, steady hard work and a real commitment to doing the right thing. He's blessed with a very keen intellect, but unlike many people with such a keen intellect, he doesn't rest on that innate capability. He's always been focused on making himself, and his country, better. The NBER could not have chosen more wisely.