Simon Johnson Biography

The British-American economist Simon Johnson has established himself as a leading expert who studies how political institutions affect long-term prosperity. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel Prize) was awarded to him in 2024 together with Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson for their research which showed that inclusive institutions drive economic growth but extractive systems block development.

The Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan and head of its Global Economics & Management group. He leads the “Shaping the Future of Work” initiative at this institution while maintaining his research affiliation at Blueprint Labs. Johnson served as the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the IMF from March 2007 until August 2008 before becoming a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (2008–2019).

Johnson has written numerous books including Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity (2023) with Acemoglu and published significant works including Jump‑Starting America (2019), 13 Bankers (2010) and White House Burning (2013). Through his writing he has transformed how people discuss financial crises and technological transformations and policy-driven economic recovery.

He co-founded the Systemic Risk Council (CFA Institute) and writes for Project Syndicate while advising the U.S. Congressional Budget Office and Fannie Mae and supporting policy initiatives in global forums.

Johnson completed his education at Oxford for his BA before moving to Manchester for his MA and finally earned his PhD at MIT in 1989. Through his research Johnson demonstrates how institutions determine economic results which makes him an influential expert for those interested in global inequality and systemic resilience and work-related issues.

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