Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA) – Internationally prominent economist Ross Levine has joined the Hoover Institution after having served for the last decade as a chaired professor at the University of California–Berkeley. His appointment became effective July 1.
Levine’s expertise lies in how financial systems impact economic growth, stability, and prosperity more generally, in areas including technological innovation, entrepreneurship, the natural environment, poverty, and the opportunities available to individuals throughout society. Much of his research underscores how regulatory policies shaping competition and the incentives of financial intermediary executives exert first-order effects on living standards.
“Ross Levine’s scholarship has been at the forefront in helping us understand how to develop ideas and policies that generate economic growth, creating opportunities and the right environment for individuals to prosper,” said Hoover Institution director Condoleezza Rice. “We welcome his scholarship and insights, which will complement and expand Hoover's longstanding expertise in economics and finance.”
“My work indicates that getting financial policies right is essential for advancing the human condition,” said Levine. “The Hoover Institution, with its unparalleled individuals and resources, offers the opportunity to advance ideas for improving those policies, expanding opportunities, and promoting prosperity.”
Levine has written or edited six books, including Rethinking Bank Regulation: Till Angels Govern and Guardians of Finance: Making Regulators Work for Us, and is one of the eleven most cited researchers in economics and finance. He has also published close to two hundred articles in premier economics, finance, and management journals. Some of his most widely cited articles include “Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right,” “Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda,” “A Sensitivity Analysis of Cross-Country Growth Regressions,” and “Stock Markets, Banks, and Economic Growth.” He has forthcoming papers to be published in the Journal of Finance, “The Legal Origins of Financial Development”; and in Management Science, “Debtors at Play: Gaming Behavior and Consumer Credit Risk.”
Levine’s research resonates beyond academia, shaping dialogue and policies at prominent international institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank. He serves as an advisor to central banks and regulatory authorities across the world. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The Economist, and other major media outlets.
Before starting his tenure at UC Berkeley, Levine was a professor at Brown University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Virginia. He has won numerous teaching awards at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
From 1990 to 1997, Levine was an economist at the World Bank, working on loans to Latin America and Eastern European countries and conducting research on economic development. Prior to joining the World Bank, Levine was an economist for the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve System.
Levine has been affiliated with the Hoover Institution for over a decade, including as a member of the steering committee of the Working Group on Intellectual Property, Innovation, and Prosperity. He is currently a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a senior fellow at the Asia Bureau of Finance and Economic Research.
Levine received his PhD in economics from the University of California–Los Angeles and his AB in economics from Cornell University, where he was Phi Beta Kappa.
For coverage opportunities, contact Jeffrey Marschner, 202-760-3187, jmarsch@stanford.edu.
