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Benjamin M. Friedman

Benjamin M. Friedman is William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University and the author of The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth.

Titles by This Editor

Offshoring of American Jobs

What Response from U.S. Economic Policy?
By Jagdish N. Bhagwati and Alan S. Blinder
Edited by Benjamin M. Friedman

It is no surprise that many fearful American workers see the call center operator in Bangalore or the factory worker in Guangzhou as a threat to their jobs. The emergence of China and India (along with other, smaller developing countries) as economic powers has doubled the supply of labor to the integrated world economy.

Inequality in America

What Role for Human Capital Policies?
By James J. Heckman and Alan B. Krueger
Edited by Benjamin M. Friedman

The surge of inequality in income and wealth in the United States over the past twenty-five years has reversed the steady progress toward greater equality that had been underway throughout most of the twentieth century. This economic development has defied historical patterns and surprised many economists, producing vigorous debate. Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? examines the ways in which human capital policies can address this important problem.

Should the United States Privatize Social Security?

By Henry J. Aaron and John B. Shoven
Edited by Benjamin M. Friedman

The two papers that make up the core of this book address what is perhaps the most fundamental question in the current debate over Social Security: whether to shift, in part or even entirely, from today's pay-as-you-go system to one that is not just funded but also privatized in the sense that individuals would retain control over the investment of their funds and, therefore, personally bear the associated risk. John Shoven argues yes, Henry Aaron no. Theoretical issues such as the likely effects on saving behavior and capital formation figure importantly in this discussion.

Inflation, Unemployment, and Monetary Policy

By Robert M. Solow and James B. Taylor
Edited by Benjamin M. Friedman

The connection between price inflation and real economic activity has been a focus of macroeconomic research—and debate—for much of the past century. Although this connection is crucial to our understanding of what monetary policy can and cannot accomplish, opinions about its basic properties have swung widely over the years.