Justin Wolfers
Professor of Economics and Public Policy, University of Michigan | Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Justin Wolfers is a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan, a sought-after columnist and broadcast commentator, and one of the clearest translators of economic evidence for the public square.
He’s driven by a simple mission: help people understand how economics shapes everyday life—paychecks and prices, risk and opportunity, policy and politics—and how everyday choices, in turn, shape the economy. His ability to turn complicated data into crisp, real-world insight earned him a place on the IMF’s list of “25 economists under 45 shaping the way we think about the global economy,” and helped launch his TV segment ‘The Professor Is In’ on MS NOW, where he breaks down the economic story behind the headlines.
Wolfers earned his PhD in economics from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Sydney in where he won the University Medal.
Topics
The Economy Today, with Justin Wolfers
Economics professor and commentator Justin Wolfers explains the economic stories shaping our lives—what’s real, what’s noise, and what the data actually says about your paycheck, prices, and prospects. With the pace and punch of his The Professor Is In TV segment, Justin translates the day’s headlines—taxes, tariffs, inflation, jobs, markets—into clear, practical takeaways. Wolfers will deliver a sharper sense of what matters, what doesn’t, and what to watch next—without needing an econ degree.
Show more
The Economics of AI
AI is already changing how work gets done, how firms compete, and where value is created. Justin Wolfers separates measurable shifts (productivity, hiring, wages, market concentration, investment) from hype, and shows what signals to watch as adoption spreads. He maps the distributional questions—who gains, who loses, and how policy can shape that—without pretending anyone can forecast the exact timeline. When you understand the AI opportunity, you'll be better placed to become one of the winners.
Show more
Economics Beyond the Headlines
Most economic commentary is built for the next news cycle. This talk is built for the next decade. Justin Wolfers steps back from today’s headlines to explain the deeper forces that shape long-run prosperity—productivity growth, innovation and diffusion, human capital, competition, and the quality of the institutions and rules that make an economy predictable, investable, and resilient. Aimed at business leaders, he turns big-picture economics into a practical “watch list”: the signals that tell you whether an economy is compounding its advantages—or quietly burning them down.
Show more
Videos
Articles
Podcasts
Testimonials
Related speakers
No related speakers.
