Overview

Alan Bennett Krueger (September 17, 1960 – March 16, 2019) was an American economist noted for empirical research on labor markets and public policy. He taught at Princeton University and was a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Readers can find institutional profiles and additional biographical information via professional summaries and Princeton pages such as his university profile.

Research and contributions

Krueger's scholarship combined careful data analysis with practical questions about employment, wages and education. He was widely recognized for work that used natural experiments and surveys to test conventional assumptions. One of his best-known contributions, produced in collaboration with other scholars, examined the effects of minimum wage changes on employment and helped reshape the academic and policy debate on the topic. His publications influenced labor economics, public finance and the way economists approach field evidence.

Approaches and topics

  • Empirical methods: natural experiments, quasi-experimental comparisons and survey design.
  • Core topics: minimum wage effects, labor-market dynamics, education and inequality.
  • Policy engagement: translating academic results to inform public debates and legislation.

Public service

Krueger served in the Obama administration. He was Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Treasury from May 2009 to October 2010 and later held the post of Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers from November 2012 to August 2013. His nominations and service were discussed in contemporary coverage and official announcements; see related items such as nomination materials and background on the Council at White House economic pages.

Personal life and death

Krueger was born in 1960 and spent much of his career at Princeton, where he taught, advised students and continued research. His death on March 16, 2019 in Princeton, New Jersey was widely reported; authorities and news outlets described it as a death by suicide. Contemporary reports are available through public notices and reporting referenced at news sources and local information about Princeton, NJ at municipal or regional pages.

Legacy

Colleagues and students remember Krueger for rigorous empirical work that bridged academia and policy. His studies remain frequently cited in discussions of labor-market policy, and his methodological emphasis on real-world evidence continues to shape research agendas in applied economics.