David Wilcox

David Wilcox has been a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics since August 2019. His current research focuses on the US macroeconomy, monetary policy, and diversity and inclusion, especially in the economics profession. Prior to joining the Institute, he served in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board, first as deputy director (2001–11) and most recently as director (2011–18). In the latter role, he functioned as the chief economist of the division, a senior advisor to three successive chairs of the Federal Reserve Board, the division's lead for strategic direction, and its chief manager. Wilcox put special emphasis on improving diversity and inclusion, both at the Federal Reserve and in the economics profession. He helped coordinate the Federal Reserve's policy response to the financial crisis while he served as deputy director. He also served as assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department from 1997 to 2001, and as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers from 1994 to 1995. His recent publications include "Okun Revisited: Who Benefits Most from a Strong Economy?" (with Stephanie Aaronson, Mary Daly, and William Wascher), forthcoming in the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity; "Aggregate Supply in the United States: Recent Developments and Implications for the Conduct of Monetary Policy" (with David Reifschneider and William L. Wascher) in the IMF Economic Review; and "The Unequal Distribution of Economic Education: A Report on the Race, Ethnicity, and Gender of Economics Majors at U.S. Colleges and Universities" (with Amanda Bayer) in the Journal of Economic Education. Wilcox received a doctoral degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Williams College. He serves on the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee, which advises US federal statistical agencies on issues of statistical methodology and other technical matters. He also serves on a task force commissioned by the American Economic Association to recommend best practices for improving diversity and inclusion in the economics profession.