Arindrajit Dube elected Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s (NBER) program on Labor Studies

Arindrajit Dube, associate professor of economics, has been elected a Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s (NBER) program on Labor Studies. Considered one of the nation’s leading experts on the economic effects of minimum wage policies, Dube was named a 2017-18 UMass Amherst Spotlight Scholar in recognition of his work.

The NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers and business professionals. NBER-affiliated researchers study a wide range of topics and they employ many different methods in their work. Although NBER research brings critical information to many important public policy debates, the NBER remains impartial and does not make public policy recommendations, according to the organization.

As part of the program, Dube will disseminate his research by presenting papers at program meetings, and also by submitting work to the NBER Working Paper Series. These working papers are broadly distributed to universities, policy-makers, and members of the press.

Research Associates like Dube are considered the backbone of the NBER and largely influence the “direction and tone of research within each program.”

Léonce Ndikumana, chair of the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst called it a “well-deserved nomination”, saying “this is an excellent opportunity for both Arin and the economics department at UMass Amherst given NBER’s national and worldwide status in the profession as a think tank and network.