Ed Glaeser

Ed Glaeser
Name	Ed Glaeser
Birth date	1967
Occupations	Economist, Professor, Author
Employer	Harvard University
Alma mater	Yale University, University of Chicago

Ed Glaeser is an American urban economist and professor known for research on cities, urban growth, housing, and public policy. He teaches at Harvard University and has written widely in academic journals and popular outlets. Glaeser’s work connects empirical analysis with policy debates involving urban development, housing markets, land use regulation, and local public finance.

Early life and education

Glaeser was born in 1967 and raised in an environment that led him to study history and economics at Yale University and pursue graduate work at the University of Chicago. At Yale he engaged with faculty and peers associated with Economic History Association, MacArthur Foundation fellows, and intellectual currents linked to scholars from Princeton University, Columbia University, and University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral work at Chicago involved interaction with faculty connected to the National Bureau of Economic Research, Cowles Foundation, and figures associated with Milton Friedman-influenced traditions. During his education he encountered ideas later associated with scholars at London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

Academic career

Glaeser joined the faculty of Harvard University where he became a prominent member of the Department of Economics and affiliate of the Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has supervised doctoral students who moved to appointments at institutions including University of Pennsylvania, New York University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University. Glaeser has participated in collaborative projects with researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research, Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, and Urban Institute. He has taught courses that brought together case studies involving New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and Tokyo and engaged with visiting scholars from Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Michigan.

Research and contributions

Glaeser’s research focuses on urban agglomeration, housing supply, local government, and productivity. He has produced empirical work that relates to classic studies by scholars linked to Alfred Marshall, Jane Jacobs, William Alonso, and modern researchers at MIT, London School of Economics, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. His papers have explored the economic geography of innovation with references to firms in Silicon Valley, Boston, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and clusters associated with Bell Labs and Renaissance Technologies. He analyzed housing regulation and zoning in contexts like San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., drawing on data sets used by researchers at University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and University College London. Glaeser has also studied crime and urban welfare with connections to literature involving Gary Becker, James Q. Wilson, Roland Fryer, and institutions such as the Manhattan Institute and the Hoover Institution. His empirical strategies often employ methods developed by scholars at Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Chicago and utilize databases maintained by agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and urban datasets curated by Rand Corporation researchers.

Major publications and books

Glaeser is author and coauthor of influential works including books and articles that appear in outlets such as journals tied to American Economic Association and publishers like Princeton University Press and Cambridge University Press. His major books discuss urban prosperity and policy debates involving cities like New York City, London, and Los Angeles. He has published with coauthors who have affiliations at Harvard, University of Chicago, Stanford, and Columbia University. His essays have appeared in magazines and newspapers associated with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and journals linked to Brookings Institution and Foreign Affairs commentators. Across his publications he interacts with themes prominent in the work of Robert Lucas, Edward Glaeser-adjacent economists at Harvard and peers including Richard Florida, Enrico Moretti, Stephen Sheppard, and Janet Rothenberg Pack.

Awards and honors

Glaeser’s scholarship has been recognized by academic prizes and fellowships connected to organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, Hoover Institution, and foundations that support urban scholarship. He has received invitations to lecture at institutions including Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and international venues like LSE and Sciences Po. His work has been cited in policy reports by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and think tanks such as Brookings Institution and Urban Institute.

Public engagement and commentary

Glaeser is active in public debate on urban policy, writing opinion pieces for outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and participating in forums hosted by Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, Urban Land Institute, and policy lectures at the Kennedy School of Government. He has testified before local and national bodies in contexts involving housing crises in San Francisco, New York City, and Boston and engaged with media organizations including NPR, BBC, CNN, and The Economist. Glaeser’s public commentary connects academic research to policymaking discussions involving mayors from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and London and collaborations with nonprofit groups such as Habitat for Humanity and research centers at Harvard and Princeton.

Category:American economists Category:Harvard University faculty