The Economic Studies Group is committed to producing objective and unbiased, data-driven answers to the most pressing economic concerns of our era and to providing background information on current economic news events—whether regional, national, or international in scope. By engaging a broad audience, our ultimate goal is to foster innovation and progress in the multifaceted field of economics. Our collaborative and cross-disciplinary efforts are cultivated through research, publications, blog posts, and hosted events. We offer Policy Analysis, which are short pieces examining current developments in the economy; Primers that give the general background to current policy discussions; Policy Papers that provide a brief description of in-depth research conducted by our group.

Today, economic analysis is applied to numerous pressing issues ranging from financial debt crises, monetary and fiscal policies, unemployment, crime, health care, environmental conservation, and more. The decisions made and actions taken by policymakers determine the standards of living both domestically and internationally. The Economic Studies Group delivers readers the big picture analysis, as well as the underlying insights and tools to discern facts on economic policies, which will help explain the economic forces at play and how they affect our daily lives.
We had invaluable guidance and advice from several people in organizing our group’s activities, determining the focus, and the future direction of the ESG. We are grateful to:

  • Ray Quinlan, Chairman, and CEO, Sallie Mae
  • Don Robotham, Professor, Anthropology, the Graduate Center, and Director of the Advanced Research Collaborative
  • Dan Alpert, Managing Partner, Westwood Capital
  • Rick Mcgahey, SVP, Institute for New Economic Thinking
  • Michael Jacobson, Executive Director, CUNY Institute for State and Local Government
  • Richard Clarida, Professor, Columbia University and Global Strategic Advisor, PIMCO
  • John Mollenkopf, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, the Graduate Center and Director of the Center for Urban Research