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Alberto Alesina

Alesina was born in Broni, Pavia, Italy. Alesina obtained his undergraduate degree in economics from Bocconi University. From 2003–2006, Alesina served as Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard. He was the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard. He visited several institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tel Aviv University, University of Stockholm, The World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2006, Alesina participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions project. He published five books and edited many more. His two most recent books were The Future of Europe: Reform or Decline (2006, MIT Press), and Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference (2004, Oxford). He was a co-editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics for eight years and associate editor of many academic journals. He published columns in many leading newspapers around the world. He was a founding contributor of the online economic policy and research journal Voxeu.org and of Lavoce.info.

Alberto Alesina

“Thank You and Farewell”: Francesco Trebbi on Alberto Alesina’s Intellectual Legacy

There are two main intellectual precursors of modern political economy in 20th Century: Social Choice and Public Choice. In founding modern political economy, Alberto Alesina shed both schools' intellectual dead weights.

Alberto Alesina

From Politics to Macroeconomics and Beyond

Alberto Alesina’s curiosity and intellect led him to a research path that opened up entire fields of research and deepened our understanding of political economy. Every time a student...

Alberto Alesina

Political Economy, NBER Meetings, Gender Norms: How Alberto Alesina’s Research Changed Economics

Since the beginning of his career, Alberto Alesina has been a tireless proponent of the cross-contamination between economics and political science, psychology, and cultural study. His innovative approach proved extremely effective.

Alberto Alesina

How Alberto Alesina Challenged the Median Voter Theorem

"Alberto Alesina's insight was that the economy was driven neither by the opportunistic behavior of politicians nor by the pursuit of partisan policies but by the inability of agents in the economy to adapt quickly to the...

Alberto Alesina

Not Everyone Agreed With Alberto Alesina, but Nobody Could Ignore the Work He Did

Harvard professor Jeffry Fridel was a friend and a colleague of Alberto Alesina. They shared the beginning of their careers, a house (for a while), and a passion for the big questions: "In the early days of...

Alberto Alesina

“There Are Few Things More Exciting Than Learning Something New and Important About Humanity”: Alesina’s Scientific Odyssey

"It is a rare scholar who does research in his 60s that is as exciting as the research that he did in his 30s": Alberto Alesina's colleague and co-author Edward Glaeser recalls his academic and teaching achievements.

Alberto Alesina

How Political Conflict Shapes Macroeconomics: Alberto Alesina’s Intellectual Legacy

One of the most respected economists of his generation, Harvard professor Alberto Alesina suddenly died at 63. His friend and colleague Guido Tabellini recalls how Alesina changed the way scholars study the interactions between politics and economics....

Alberto Alesina

“Alberto Alesina Always Knew Where The Big Ideas Were”

Harvard economist Alberto Alesina passed away at 63. Paola Giuliano, UCLA professor and Alesina's co-author, recalls his intellectual and human legacy: "He shaped the way in which we think about political economy, but more importantly he shaped...

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Alberto Alesina

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