For Immediate Release: September 9, 2011  

Contact: Jennifer Nash 617-495-9379

Joseph Aldy to Chair Regulatory Policy Program at Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government  

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Joseph Aldy, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Nonresident Fellow at Resources for the Future, and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, has been named Faculty Chair of the Regulatory Policy Program at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government (M-RCBG). “Joe’s talents as a scholar, and his experience advising the White House about energy and environmental policy, make him the ideal person for this job,” said Lawrence Summers, the center’s Director and Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University. “Regulation is a core area of research and engagement for M-RCBG and Harvard Kennedy School overall,” explained John Haigh, the center’s Co-Director and Executive Dean of Harvard Kennedy School. “We are absolutely delighted that Joe has agreed to lead this important program.” Prof. Aldy’s research focuses on climate change policy, energy policy, and mortality risk valuation. In 2009-2010, he served as the Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Environment, reporting through both the National Economic Council and the Office of Energy and Climate Change at the White House. “The Regulatory Policy Program will serve as the hub of regulation-related research activities at the Harvard Kennedy School and will engage scholars across the University to identify the most effective ways to design, implement, and evaluate regulatory policy,” explained Aldy. Aldy was a Fellow at Resources for the Future from 2005 to 2008 and served on the staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers from 1997 to 2000. He also served as the Co-Director of the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements, Co-Director of the International Energy Workshop, and Treasurer for the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists before joining the Obama Administration. He holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University, a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment, and a BA from Duke University.