Jeffrey B. Liebman (born c. 1967) is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and academic. Since 2014, Liebman has served as director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

. During the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

, Liebman served within the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

(OMB). Prior to this, Liebman was a top economic advisor for

Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, ...

Early life and education

Liebman was born in 1967 to

Lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...

and Carol B. Liebman. His father is a professor at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

and a former director of the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars limited to 3,000 elected members and established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and i ...

. His mother is a professor of clinical law at Columbia Law School. Liebman's brother, Benjamin L. Liebman, is a professor of

Chinese law Chinese law is one of the oldest legal traditions in the world. The core of modern Chinese law is based on Germanic-style civil law, socialist law, and traditional Chinese approaches. For most of the history of China, its legal system has ...

at Columbia Law School. Liebman attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he graduated ''magna cum laude'' in 1989 with a bachelor's degree with distinction in economics and political science. He went on to study at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he received a Ph.D. in economics in 1996.

Career

Liebman is the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy and serves as the director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, and Social Impact Bond Technical Assistance Lab, all at the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

. He teaches courses in social policy, public sector economics, and American economic policy. Liebman's research includes tax and budget policy, social insurance, poverty, and income inequality. Recently he has examined the impacts of government programs such as the

Earned Income Tax Credit The United States federal earned income tax credit or earned income credit (EITC or EIC) is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples, particularly those with children. The amount of EITC benefit depend ...

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

, and housing vouchers. He is also a research associate at the

National Bureau of Economic Research The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic co ...

(NBER), and a member of the Academic Advisory Committee at the

Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...

(CAP). In 2019, Liebman was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Government

From 1998 to 1999 he served as Special Assistant to the President for economic policy and coordinated the Clinton administration's Social Security reform technical working group. During the

, Liebman served in the

(OMB) as executive associate director and chief economist and then as the acting deputy director for policy.

References

External links

*
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government official profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Liebman, Jeffrey 1960s births 21st-century American economists Center for American Progress people Harvard Kennedy School faculty Living people Obama administration personnel United States Office of Management and Budget officials Yale College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Year of birth missing (living people)