Last updated on: 10/5/2010 | Author: ProCon.org

Jeffrey A. Miron, PhD Biography

Title:
Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Economics, Harvard University
Position:
Pro to the question "Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?"
Reasoning:

“If we are to truly tackle the dangers of youth drinking, we must admit that the National-21 experiment has failed.”

“The Dangers of the Drinking Age,” forbes.com, Apr. 15, 2009
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
Experts
Individuals with MDs, PhDs, JDs, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to the minimum legal drinking age. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to the minimum legal drinking age.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Economics, Harvard University, July 2007–present
  • Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, May 2009–present
  • Editorial Board, Cato Journal, Feb. 2009–present
  • Visiting Professor, Economics, Harvard University, July 2004–June 2007.
  • Professor, Economics, Boston University, Sep. 1990–June 2005
  • President, Bastiat Institute, Apr. 1999–June 2005
  • Visiting Professor, Economics, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sep. 2000–June 2001
  • Chairman, Department of Economics, Boston University, Sep. 1992–Aug. 1998
  • Visiting Scholar, Institut d’Economie Industrielle, Université des Sciences Sociales, Toulouse, France, June–Dec. 1997
  • Visiting Associate Professor, Economics, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sep. 1989–May 1990
  • Visiting Scholar, Department of Economics, Boston University, Sep. 1989–Dec. 1989
  • Associate Professor, Economics, University of Michigan, Sep. 1989–June 1990
  • Olin Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research, Sep. 1988–Aug. 1989
  • Assistant Professor, Economics, University of Michigan, Sep. 1984 – Aug. 1989
  • Visiting Scholar, National Bureau of Economic Research, Jan. 1988–Aug. 1988
Education:
  • PhD, Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984
  • BA, Economics, Swarthmore College, 1979
Contact Info:
Phone
617-495-4129
Email
miron@fas.harvard.edu
Website
Harvard University bio
Other:
  • Board of Academic Advisors, Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, May 1995–present
  • Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1989–present
  • Senior Class List of Favorite Teachers, Harvard College, 2008
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 1992–1995
  • Cowritten with J. Zwiebel, “The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1995
  • Cowritten with N.G. Mankiw and D. Weil, “The Founding of the Fed and the Behavior of Interest Rates: What Can be Learned from Small Samples?,” Journal of Monetary Economics, Dec. 1994
  • “Empirical Methodology in Macroeconomics: Explaining the Success of Milton Friedman and Anna J. Schwartz’s A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960,” Journal of Monetary Economics, Aug. 1994
  • Committee Member, National Academy of Sciences Committee on Drug Use and the Workplace, 1992–1993
  • Sloan Foundation Faculty Research Fellowship, 1990–1992
  • Olin Fellowship, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1988–1989
  • Faculty Research Fellow, Program in Economic Fluctuations, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1988–1989
  • Faculty Research Fellow, Program in Financial Markets and Monetary Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1985–1989
  • Rackham Faculty Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1987
  • Visiting Honors Examiner in Economic Theory, Swarthmore College, 1986
  • Recipient, Social Science Research Council Fellowship, 1981
  • Recipient, Joshua P. Lippincott Fellowship for Graduate Study, 1979
Quoted in:
Pro & Con Quotes: Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?