Brigitte C. Madrian

Aetna Professor of Public Policy and Corporate Management
Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government
Office Address
Taubman-348
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 114
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-495-8917
Fax: 617-496-1722
Email: Brigitte_Madrian@harvard.edu
Assistant
Jamie Georgia (617-496-3440)
Brigitte Madrian

Profile

Brigitte Madrian is the Aetna Professor of Public Policy and Corporate Management at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before coming to Harvard in 2006, she was on the Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School (2003-2006), the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1995-2003) and the Harvard University Economics Department (1993-1995). She is also a research associate and co-director of the Household Finance working group at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and co-editor of the Journal of Human Resources.

Dr. Madrian's current research focuses on household saving and investment behavior. Her work in this area has impacted the design of employer-sponsored savings plans in the U.S. and has influenced pension reform legislation both in the U.S. and abroad. She has also examined the impact of health insurance on the job choice and retirement decisions of employees and the hiring decisions of firms.

Dr. Madrian received her Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and studied economics as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University. She is the recipient of the National Academy of Social Insurance Dissertation Prize (first place, 1994) and a two-time recipient of the TIAA-CREF Paul A. Samuelson Award for Scholarly Research on Lifelong Financial Security (2002 and 2011).

Courses

Spring

  • API-304 Behavioral Economics and Public Policy

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Book Chapters
    • Beshears, John, James J. Choi, David Laibson, and Brigitte C. Madrian. "The Availability and Utilization of 401(k) Loans." Investigations in the Economics of Aging. Ed. David A. Wise. University of Chicago Press, 2012, 145-172.
  • HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
    • Milkman, Katherine L., John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, and Brigitte C. Madrian. "Following through on Good Intentions: The Power of Planning Prompts." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-024, May 2012.
  • Research Papers/Reports
    • Justine S. Hastings, Brigitte C. Madrian, William L. Skimmyhorn. "Financial Literacy, Financial Education and Economic Outcomes." NBER Working Papers 18412, September 2012.
    • Beshears, John, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, and Stephen P. Zeldes. "What Makes Annuitization More Appealing?" NBER Working Papers 18575, November 2012.
    • Beshears, John, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, and Katherine L. Milkman. "The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions." Rand Corporation and NBER Working Papers (WR800 and 17345), 2011.
    • Beshears, John, James J. Choi, David Laibson, and Brigitte C. Madrian. "Does Aggregated Returns Disclosure Increase Portfolio Risk-Taking?" NBER Working Papers 16868, 2011.