Dear NBER Family and Staff Members -
I am writing to tell you about two upcoming changes in the
line-up of NBER Working Groups. Both changes will take effect on July 1.
First, we are creating a new working group devoted to Household
Finance, which will be led by Nicholas Souleles of the Wharton School
and Peter Tufano of Harvard Business School. It will focus on topics
that relate to household saving, portfolio behavior, borrowing
decisions, and investments. This is an area of active research interest
and I hope that the working group will provide a forum for discussion
and exchange of research ideas. I am very grateful to Nick and to Peter
for agreeing to serve as leaders. This working group will hold its
first meeting on Friday, October 16, 2009 -- a call for papers will be
circulated later this spring.
Second, after many years as the leader of the Higher Education
working group, Charlie Clotfelter of Duke has decided to step down from
this role. Charlie has done a superb job of developing a substantial
research group that tackles the many economic issues that currently
confront higher education, and I speak for many who have participated in
this group in thanking him for his leadership. It turns out that many
of the topics studied by this working group are also discussed by the
members of the Education program. Rather than maintaining a distinct
Higher Education Working Group, Charlie, Caroline Hoxby (Director of the
Education Program), and I have decided to fold the activities of this
working group into those of the Education Program.
I look forward to seeing you at the NBER Summer Institute if not
before. All best wishes.
Jim Poterba
Received on Thu Apr 23 2009 - 11:16:04 EDT
