Lawrence Mishel

President of the Economic Policy Institute

Lawrence Mishel, a nationally recognized economist, is the president of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Since joining EPI in 1987 as its first research director, he has played a significant role in building the institute into the nation’s premier research organization focused on U.S. living standards and labor markets. He has researched, written, and spoken widely on the economy and economic policy as they affect middle- and low-income families. Mishel is the principal author of “The State of Working America” (published every two years since 1988), a major research volume that the former U.S. labor secretary Robert Reich says remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today’s economy. Earlier in his career, Mishel served as an economist for several unions, including the Auto Workers, Steelworkers, AFSCME, and the Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO.

Debates Featuring Lawrence Mishel

Obama's Economic Policies Are Working Effectively

With James Galbraith, Allan Meltzer, Lawrence Mishel, Steven Rattner, Eliot Spitzer, Mark Zandi

November 16, 2009

Signs of economic recovery are everywhere. Housing prices have bottomed out; the stock market has rallied; and capital markets are operating normally. Today, economists are debating whether or not the recession is over. When Obama took office, the debate was whether a sharp decline in economic activity would trigger more bank failures in a vicious cycle, culminating in a full scale depression. His policies have restored confidence and that is the most important thing. Others argue that his policies will…