White House report cites four Brooks School researchers

The 2023 Economic Report of the President compiled by the White House Council of Economic Advisers cited research by four Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy faculty members.

The 513-page report focused on long-run challenges to the U.S. economy. It analyzed childcare and explored the financial dangers created by climate change. The report also looked at the benefits of global partnerships, reforms to make college more accessible, and the value of increasing immigration to add workers to the U.S. economy.

“It is exciting to see the research of Brooks School faculty being used at this level to advance our understanding of economic challenges and opportunities,” said Senior Associate Dean of Research Kelly Musick. “We hope those who read the report will benefit from the insights and draw on them as a basis for policy solutions that improve lives.”

The faculty members cited in the report include Maria Fitzpatrick, Michael Lovenheim, Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, and Nicholas Sanders. Their research covers a range of topics:

Early childhood education – Fitzpatrick has studied the impact of public preschool and kindergarten programs on mothers’ employment, as well as broader aspects of the access to care and quality of care in early childhood education settings. Based on her findings and others, the report concluded “the care economy faces fundamental challenges in terms of both supply and demand, and thus there is an important opportunity for effective policies to improve the functioning of this market.” Fitzpatrick is Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, and a professor in the Brooks School and in the Department of Economics.

Higher education – Lovenheim studied the economics of attending college, especially the factors that influence graduation rates and labor market earnings. The report cited five of Lovenheim’s research articles as President Biden’s economic advisers weighed the benefits of government support of higher education and the provision of portable financial aid to students. Lovenheim is a professor in the Brooks School, the ILR School and in the Department of Economics.

Climate change – Ortiz-Bobea studied the historical impact of climate change, especially increased temperatures, on agricultural productivity. The report highlighted his research because of how it sheds light in understanding how ongoing climate change is affecting the macro-economy. Ortiz-Bobea is an associate professor in the Brooks School and in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management.

Climate change – Sanders studied climate change from a different perspective – how outdated infrastructure, combined with rising temperatures, can lead to more violence. The report cited his research showing intensely hot days resulted in spikes in incidents of extreme violence in Mississippi prisons, which historically lack air conditioning to help offset the heat. “Unprecedented extreme (weather) events are exposing the weaknesses of aging U.S. infrastructure, which was designed to operate in different climate conditions,” the report concluded. Sanders is an assistant professor in the Brooks School and in the Department of Economics.