Equitable Growth Announces Claudia Sahm as New Director of Macroeconomic Policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2019
CONTACT:
Elena Waskey, 202-545-3357
ewaskey@equitablegrowth.org

WASHINGTON – The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced that Claudia Sahm will join the organization in November as its new director of macroeconomic policy. She is currently a section chief at the Federal Reserve Board.

“As a member of our research advisory board, Claudia already has brought a wealth of expertise to Equitable Growth, and I am confident in her new role that she will continue to bring a strong commitment to supporting a new generation of talent in economics and public policymaking,” said Equitable Growth President and CEO Heather Boushey. “As director of macroeconomic policy, she will conduct and seed further research on the macroeconomic consequences of economic inequality and bring her tremendous expertise to bear at the intersection of policymaking and academia.”

Sahm’s research focuses on consumer behavior and preferences, including responses to fiscal stimulus, income expectations, and economic measurement. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis added “Sahm Rule recession indicators” to its Federal Reserve Economic Data database. Sahm developed the rule as part of Recession Ready: Fiscal Policies to Stabilize the American Economy, a joint project between Equitable Growth and The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to connect macroeconomic research and economic policy,” Sahm said. “Research in macroeconomics has increasingly focused on how economic policy—including fiscal, monetary, and regulatory—affects households differently across the income and wealth distribution. It is important we make these insights accessible to policymakers, so we can have a robust conversation on how inequality affects growth.”

Sahm, who assumes her role as director of macroeconomic policy on November 25, will both conduct original research and provide analysis of academic research on how macroeconomic policy tools can ensure the U.S. economy works for everyone and reduce the impact of economic downturns.

Currently, Sahm is the section chief for the Consumer and Community Research section in the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board. Before she was section chief, she worked as an economist in the Division of Research and Statistics with a focus on macro-consumption. In 2015, she served a 1-year detail at the Council of Economic Advisers as a senior economist. Sahm holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, and German from Denison University.

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth is a nonprofit research and grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing evidence-backed ideas and policies that promote strong, stable, and broad-based economic growth. For more information, see www.equitablegrowth.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @equitablegrowth.