In memory of Alberto Alesina (1957 - 2020)
May 2020
Tribute
by Ernst Fehr
Alberto Alesina, Nathan Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UBS Center for Economics in Society, died suddenly on May 23, 2020 while hiking. Alberto was a world-renowned expert in the field of political economy, and frequently posed and answered important questions at the interface of politics and economics. His work examines, among other things, the interplay between the economic and political system, the role of social norms in economic life and the impact of ethnic fractionalization on societies.
Alberto Alesina was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UBS Center for Economics in Society. His contributions in developing the Center since its inception were invaluable and played an important role in making the center what it is today. Alberto had an incredible eye for the developments the Center needed to take and a strong sense of how to implement his suggestions. Aside from his scientific abilities and achievements in his research, we appreciated him as a warm and kind person who was there for others and who balanced his work with his interests in the outdoors. The Scientific Advisory Board will miss him terribly.
The Advisory Board and the UBS Center extend their deepest condolences to Alberto’s widow Susan.
by Ernst Fehr
Alberto Alesina, Nathan Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UBS Center for Economics in Society, died suddenly on May 23, 2020 while hiking. Alberto was a world-renowned expert in the field of political economy, and frequently posed and answered important questions at the interface of politics and economics. His work examines, among other things, the interplay between the economic and political system, the role of social norms in economic life and the impact of ethnic fractionalization on societies.
Alberto and Susan Alesina hiking at the 2019 Advisory Board Meeting
Austerity and fiscal stability in Europe
Alberto Alesina concluded the 2014 Forum for Economic Dialogue with the Zurich Lecture of Economics in Society. He looked at the timing of austerity and at the fiscal adjustments after the crisis and criticized Europe for not applying anti-cyclical fiscal policies. He suggested thinking about a round of permanent tax cuts for European countries, which would allow them to engage in structural reforms. Also, he criticized the European obsession with investments in infrastructure.
According to Alesina, monetary union has increased conflict between countries in Europe. The only positive aspect he sees is the progress of the banking union, and concluded by quoting Thomas Philippon: “Things are difficult because they are complicated.”
Alberto Alesina concluded the 2014 Forum for Economic Dialogue with the Zurich Lecture of Economics in Society. He looked at the timing of austerity and at the fiscal adjustments after the crisis and criticized Europe for not applying anti-cyclical fiscal policies. He suggested thinking about a round of permanent tax cuts for European countries, which would allow them to engage in structural reforms. Also, he criticized the European obsession with investments in infrastructure.
According to Alesina, monetary union has increased conflict between countries in Europe. The only positive aspect he sees is the progress of the banking union, and concluded by quoting Thomas Philippon: “Things are difficult because they are complicated.”
Alberto Alesina at the 2014 Forum for Economic Dialogue in Zurich
Zurich Lecture of Economics in Society
Selected publications
Distributive Politics and Economic Growth with Dani Rodrik. Quaterly Journal of Economics 109: 465-90. 1994 download
Who Trusts Others? with Eliana La Ferrara. Journal of Public Economics 85: 207-34. 2002 download
On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough with Paola Giuliano, Nathan Nunn. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 128, Issue 2, May 2013, Pages 469–530 download
Selected eulogies
Recalling a pioneer of modern political economy The Harvard Gazette 27.5.2020 read
Alberto Alesina. A free-spirited economist VoxEU by Elias Papaioannou and Stefanie Stantcheva 27.5.2020 read
In memory of Alberto Alesina VoxEU by Francesco Giavazzi, Guido Tabellini, Beatrice Weder di Mauro 26.5.2020 read
Nachruf auf einen unbequemen Mahner NZZ by Christoph Eisenring 25.5.2020 lesen
How Political Conflict Shapes Macroeconomics: Alberto Alesina’s Intellectual Legacy Promarket by Guido Tabellini 25.5.2020 read
It is hard to imagine the field of political economy without Alberto Alesina The Washington Post by Lawrence H. Summers 24.5.2020 read