Program Directors

Leah Boustan is a professor of economics at Princeton University. Her research focuses on issues at the intersection of labor economics and economic history, particularly the consequences of the Great Black Migration after WWII. She has been an NBER affiliate since 2007.

William Collins is the Terence E. Adderly Jr. Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on 20th century labor markets and cities, including migration, racial disparities, and urban renewal. He has been an NBER affiliate since 1999.
Featured Program Content

Between 1880 and 1940, the United States experienced two profound changes: a wave of industrialization that reallocated employment away from agriculture...

The wealth gap between White and Black Americans is nearly as large today as it was in the 1950s.
In Wealth of Two Nations: The US Racial Wealth Gap,...

Rising international migration flows have sparked heated debate on the effects of immigrants on host societies. A recurring concern is that cultural...