Obama Expected to Name Labor Economist to Advisory Council

[Thrill]

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to round out his economic team next week with the selection of Cecilia Rouse, a Princeton University labor economist well-known for her work on the economics of educational investments, according to an Obama economic transition aide.

Ms. Rouse will join Christina Romer and Austan Goolsbee as the third member of the Council of Economic Advisers, which advises the President on economic policy. All three are academic economists with distinct specialties: Ms. Romer is an economic historian schooled in the Great Depression while Mr. Goolsbee is a taxation expert.

Mr. Obama is expected to draw on Ms. Rouse's expertise in the economic benefits of education investments as he prepares a stimulus package to help jumpstart the ailing economy. Among other things, the package is expected to focus on preparing workers for jobs in a global economy.

Ms. Rouse has written on the benefits of attending community college. She has also argued that the use of school vouchers -- a staple of the Bush administration's stance on education -- doesn't dramatically improve student achievement.

She is also well-known for a paper on discrimination, in which she and a co-author found that "blind" auditions were more likely to result in female musicians being hired into an orchestra.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123075402884446253.html

[Aloha Spirit]

1. Thanks for posting, I missed this. Woah, she sounds like one clever lady! I absolutely cannot wait

to see where Obama's economic and budget team decide to lead on job creation and healthcare.

[firedupdem]

2. She sounds good. We need all the help we can get with this

jacked up economy.

[mucifer]

3. I like that she's anti-school vouchers.

[applegrove]

4. Woohoo!

:woohoo:

[democrattotheend]

5. Excellent news!

This is very encouraging.

[PBS Poll-435]

6. Wish I could rec this

:kick:

[Kdillard]

7. Ms. Rouse sounds impressive. Obama seems to be covering his bases very well with

all of his appointments.