Who is Cecilia Rouse - Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers: Biography, Career and Life

Photo: New York Times

A renowned labor economist with expertise centered in the economics of education and equality, Cecilia Rouse is an accomplished leader who has held prominent roles across academia and government service. Biden introduced her as “one of the most distinguished economists in the country” and “an expert on labor economics and race, poverty and education.”

Cecilia Rouse's Life & Career

Cecilia Rouse (born December 18, 1963) is the chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers designate for the future Biden administration. Having joined Princeton's faculty in 1992 after earning a doctoral degree in economics at Harvard University, Rouse says her service in federal government gave her an appreciation of the importance of translating research for policymakers and wider audiences. It's something she still practices as a senior editor of The Future of Children, a policy journal published by the Wilson School and the Brookings Institution.

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Mr. Goolsbee said, “she was way ahead of everyone on the issues of the long-term unemployed. From the second the thing began, she was saying, we’re going to have to think about the long-term unemployed and how to get them out of unemployment.”

Rouse's work during the Great Recession was not the first time her economic expertise was tapped by leaders in Washington, D.C. She also worked in the White House at the National Economic Council from 1998 to 1999. (Princeton professors are often considered thought-leaders on national and international policy issues, and may take short-term public service leaves from the University to fulfill important government posts.)

Cecilia Rouse currently serves as Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. If confirmed, she will become just the first African American and just the fourth woman to lead the CEA in the 74 years of its existence. A renowned labor economist with expertise centered in the economics of education and equality, she is an accomplished leader who has held prominent roles across academia and government service, according to Biden - Harris campaign website.

Photo: Harvard Crimson

Early Career and Education

Before joining the Princeton faculty in 1992, Rouse earned her bachelor of arts degree and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Cecilia Rouse's most famous research

Soon after Cecilia Rouse finished her first stint as a White House economic adviser, in the administration of President Bill Clinton, a prestigious academic journal published what would arguably become her most famous research paper: a study finding sexism in auditions and hiring for symphony orchestras.

To complete that study, Ms. Rouse and a co-author, Claudia Goldin of Harvard, conducted years of research. They worked with orchestra managers and unions to unearth records of auditions dating back decades. “We traveled from city to city,” Ms. Goldin recalled, “rummaged through dusty boxes and copied hundreds of entries from yellowing pieces of paper.” The effort reflected both a focus on the forces that hold people back in the economy and a degree of diligence in her research that Ms. Rouse’s colleagues call trademarks of her second stint in the White House when President Barack Obama tapped her to join his Council of Economic Advisers.

And it is what friends and former colleagues say they expect Ms. Rouse to bring to the council if she is confirmed by the Senate to lead it under President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., a job that Mr. Biden said on Tuesday he would restore to cabinet-level status after it was demoted under President Trump, said NYT.

Photo: News One

What will she be responsible for as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers?

The Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the Executive Office of the President, is charged with offering the President objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. The Council bases its recommendations and analysis on economic research and empirical evidence, using the best data available to support the President in setting our nation's economic policy.

In her new role, Ms. Rouse will be responsible for providing the president with economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. She will lead the CEA in the research and analysis of current economic developments and trends to make data-based recommendations to the president based on the council's findings. Her prior experience in previous administrations is seen as a key asset as the CEA designs economic policy and advises President Biden in an economy struggling from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Invest Opedia.

"As we come through this pandemic, though, we know that we need to support some of those low-wage workers. People will need to have jobs that pay and allow them to support their families. We know that paid sick leave, paid family leave is very important to allow them to both be productive workers and take care of their families. So coming out of this recovery, in particular, we need to ensure that all Americans can be productive workers and being able to support their families," Rouse answered NPR's interview about the Biden administration's plans for boosting the U.S. economy earlier this month.

For more information about Biden's full list of nominees and appointees for his upcoming administration, please click here!

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