Katharine Abraham

Katharine G. Abraham is a Distinguished University Professor. Her published research includes papers on the work and retirement decisions of older Americans; how government policies affect employers’ choices concerning employment and hours over the business cycle; the effects of financial aid on the decision to attend college; discrepancies in alternative measures of employment, wages and hours; and the measurement of economic activity. She served as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1993 through 2001 and as a Member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 through 2013. Abraham currently serves on standing academic advisory committees convened by the Congressional Budget Office, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. She is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Research Fellow of the IZA, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association, and an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association and of the Society of Labor Economists. Abraham received her Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University in 1982 and her B.S. in economics from Iowa State University in 1976.

Education

• Ph.D. Harvard University (1976 — 1982)
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Iowa State University (1972 — 1976)

Publications

• Explaining the Decline in the U.S. Employment-to-Population Ratio: A Review of the Evidence, Abraham, Katharine G. and Melissa S. Kearney, Journal of Economic Literature 58(3 ), 585-643, September 2020.
• The Consequences of Long Term Unemployment: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data, Katharine Abraham, John Haltiwanger, Kristin Sandusky and James Spletzer, ILR Review 72(2 ), 266-299, March 2019.
• Short-Time Compensation as a Tool to Mitigate Job Loss? Evidence on the US Experience During the Recent Recession, Katharine Abraham and Susan Houseman, Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 53(4):543-567. 53(4 ), 543-567, October 2014.
• Exploring Differences in Employment Between Household and Establishment Data, Katharine G. Abraham, John C. Haltiwanger, Kristin Sandusky, and James R Spletzer, Journal of Labor Economics 31(2 ), S129-S172, April 2013.
• Accounting for Investments in Formal Education, Katharine G. Abraham, Survey of Current Business 90(6 ), 42-53, January 2010.
• Are the New Jobs Good Jobs?, Katharine Abraham and J.R. Spletzer, Labor in the New Economy, ed. by Katharine Abraham, J.R. Speltzer, M. Harper. The University of Chicago Press, 101-143, January 2010.
• Labor in the New Economy, Katharine G. Abraham, James R. Spletzer, and Michael Harper, National Bureau of Economic Research: Studies in Income and Wealth,The University of Chicago Press 71, January 2010.
• How Social Processes Distort Measurement: The Impact of Survey Nonresponse on Estimates of Volunteer Work in the United States, Katharine G Abraham, Sara Helms and Stanley Presser, American Journal of Sociology 114(4 ), 1129-1165, January 2009.
• New evidence on the returns to job skills, Katharine G. Abraham and James R. Spletzer, American Economic Review 99(2 ), 52-57, May 2009.
• Removing Barriers to Work for Older Americans, Katharine Abraham and Susan Houseman, A Future of Good Jobs, ed. by T. Bartik, S. Houseman. Upjohn Institute, Kalamazoo, Michigan, chap. 5, pp. 161-201., January 2008.
• Health-related Activities in the American Time Use Survey, Katharine G. Abraham, I. Russell, and Y. Ibuka, Medical Care 45(7 ), 680-685, July 2007.
• A Framework for Nonmarket Accounting, K. Abraham, C. Mackie, D. Jorgenson, W. Nordhaus, and S. Landefeld, A New Architecture for the U S National Accounts, ed. by Landefeld, S and Nordhaus, W, University of Chicago Press, Chicago., January 2006.
• Financial Aid and Students' College Decisions: Evidence from the District of Columbia's Tuition Assistance Grant Program, Katharine G. Abraham and M.A. Clark, Journal of Human Resources 41(3 ), 578-610, July 2006.
• Nonresponse in the American Time Use Survey: Who is Missing from the Data and How Much Does It Matter?, Katharine G. Abraham, A. Maitland, and S. Bianchi, Public Opinion Quarterly 70(5 ), 676-703, January 2006.
• Beyond the Market: Designing Nonmarket Accounts for the United States, K. Abraham and C. Mackie, National Academies Press, January 2005.
• Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government-What We Don't Know Could Hurt Us: Some Reflections on the Measurement of Economic Activity, Katharine G. Abraham, Journal of Economic Perspectives 19(3 ), 3-18, July 2005.
• Meeting Policy-Markers' Information Needs: Lessons from the U S Experience, Katharine G. Abraham, The Great Indian Poverty Debate, ed. by A. Deaton and V. Kozel, Macmillan India Ltd., 27-34, January 2005.
• Microdata Access and Labor Market Research: The U S Experience, Katharine G. Abraham, Allgemeines Statistisches Archiv 89(12 ), 121-140, June 2005.
• Work and Retirement Plans among Older Americans, K Abraham and S N Houseman, Re-inventing the Retirement Paradigm, ed. by Clark, R and Mitchell, O, chap. 5, pp. 70-91, Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford., January 2005.
• At Home and Abroad: US Labor Market Performance in International Perspective - A Review, Katharine G. Abraham, Journal of Economic Literature 42(2 ), 523-533, January 2004.
• Data for Managing Tight Labor Markets: The New Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Katharine G. Abraham, Chance 16(2 ), 58-62, January 2003.
• Towards a Cost-of-Living Index: Progress and Prospects, Katharine G Abraham, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17(1):45-58. 17(1 ), 45-58, March 2003.
• Changes in Unemployment Duration and Labor Force Attachment, Katharine G. Abraham and Robert Shimer, The Roaring Nineties, ed. by A. B. Krueger and R. M. Solow, 367-420, January 2002.
• Research on Price Index Measurement: Agendas for the Next Twenty Years, E R Berndt, Z Griliches, K G Abraham, E Diewert, B R Moulton, and J E Triplett , Journal of Economic and Social Measurement 27(3-4 ), 99-130, January 2001.
• Price Index Research in the Coming Decades, Katharine G Abraham, Monthly Labor Review 123(9 ), 31-36, September 2000.
• Research on Price Index Measurement: Agendas for the Next Twenty Years: Comments, Katharine G Abraham, NBER Panel Discussion, July 1999.
• Why Do Different Wage Series Tell Different Stories?, Katharine G Abraham, James R Spletzer, and Jay C Stewart, The American Economic Review 89(2 ), 34-39, May 1999.
• Divergent Trends in Alternative Wage Series, Katharine G. Abraham, James R. Spletzer, and Jay C. Stewart , Labor Statistics Measurement Issues, ed. by John C. Haltiwanger, M. Manser, and R. Topel, University of Chicago Press, 293-325, January 1998.
• Returns to Seniority in Union and Nonunion Jobs: A New Look at the Evidence, K. Abraham and H.S. Farber, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 42(1):3-19. 42(1 ), 3-19, October 1998.
• Working to Improve the Consumer Price Index, Katharine G Abraham, John S Greenlees, and Brent R Moulton, The Journal of Economic Perspectives 12(1 ), 27-36, January 1998.
• A View from the Federal Statistical System, Katharine G. Abraham, American Journal of Agricultural Economics 79(5 ), 1394-1400, December 1997.
• The CPI Commission: Discussion, Katharine G Abraham, E DIEWERT, and Jerry Hausman, American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings 87(2 ), 94-98, May 1997.
• Firms' Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence, Katharine G. Abraham, Journal of Labor Economics 14(3 ), 394-424, July 1996.
• Improvements in the BLS Safety and Health Statistical System, Katharine G. Abraham, W.L. Weber, and M.E. Personick, Monthly Labor Review 119(4 ), 3-12, March 1996.
• The State of Our Economic Intelligence: Where Weve Been and Where Were Going, Katharine G Abraham, Jerome Levy Economics Institute, December 1996.
• Earnings Inequality in Germany, Katharine G. Abraham and S.N. Houseman, Differences and Changes in Wage Structures, ed. by R.B. Freeman and L.F. Katz, University of Chicago Press, 371-404, January 1995.
• Labor Adjustment Under Different Institutional Structures, Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N. Houseman , Institutional Frameworks and Labor Market Performance, ed. by Friedrich Buttler, Wolfgang Franz, Ronald Schettkat, and David Soskice, Routeledge, 285-315, January 1995.
• Real wages and the business cycle, Katharine G Abraham and John C Haltiwanger, Journal of Economic Literature 33(3 ), 1215-1264, September 1995.
• Social Protection vs. Economic Flexibility: Is There a Tradeoff?, K. Abraham and S.N. Houseman, Social Protection versus Economic, ed. by Rebecca M. Blank. University of Chicago Press, Chicago , chap. 3, pp. 59-93., January 1994.
• Female workers as a buffer in the Japanese economy, Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N Houseman, The American Economic Review 83(2 ), 45-51, May 1993.
• Job Security in America: Lessons from Germany, Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N. Houseman, Brookings Institution Press, January 1993.
• Mismatch and Labour Mobility: Some Final Remarks, Katharine G. Abraham and S. J. Nickell, Mismatch and Labour Mobility, ed. by F. Padoa-Schioppa, Centre for Economic Policy Research, 453-481, January 1991.
• New Developments in the Labor Market: Toward A New Institutional Paradigm, Katharine G. Abraham and Robert B. McKersie, MIT Press, January 1990.
• Restructuring the Employment Relationship: The Growth of Market-Mediated Work Arrangements, Katharine G Abraham, New Developments in the Labor Market: Toward a New Institutional Paradigm, ed. by K.G. Abraham and R.B. McKersie. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, chap. 4, pp. 85-119., January 1990.
• Job Security and Work Force Adjustment: How Different Are U.S. and Japanese Practices?, Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N. Houseman, Journal of the Japanese and International Economies 3(4 ), 500-521, December 1989.
• Flexible Staffing Arrangements and Employers' Short-term Adjustment Strategies, Katharine G. Abraham, Employment, Unemployment and Labour Utilization, ed. by R.A. Hart, Unwin Hyman Press, 288-311, January 1988.
• Help Wanted Advertising, Job Vacancies and Unemployment, Katharine G. Abraham, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 18(1 ), 207-243, January 1987.
• Job Duration, Seniority and Earnings, Katharine G. Abraham and H.S. Farber, American Economic Review 77(3 ), 278-297, June 1987.
• Cyclical Unemployment: Sectoral Shifts or Aggregate Disturbances?, Katharine G. Abraham and Lawrence F. Katz, Journal of Political Economy 94(3 ), 507-522, June 1986.
• Structural/Frictional vs. Deficient Demand Unemployment: Reply, Katharine G Abraham, American Economic Review 76(1 ), 273-276, March 1986.
• Length of service and promotions in union and nonunion work groups, Katharine G. Abraham and James L. Medoff, Industrial and Labor Relations Review 38(3 ), 408-420, April 1985.
• Length of Service and Layoffs in Union and Nonunion Work Groups, Katharine G. Abraham and James L. Medoff, Industrial and Labor Relations Review 38(1 ), 87-97, October 1984.
• Structural/Frictional vs. Deficient Demand Unemployment: Some New Evidence, Katharine G Abraham, American Economic Review 73(4 ), 708-724, September 1983.
• Length of Service and the Operation of Internal Labor Markets, Katharine G. Abraham and James L. Medoff, Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, 308-319, December 1982.
• Unemployment, Unsatisfied Demand for Labor, and Compensation Growth, 1956-1980, K. Abraham and J.L. Medoff, Workers, Jobs and Inflation, ed. by M.N. Baily. The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., chap. -, pp. 49-88., January 1982.
• Are those paid more really more productive? The case of experience, Katharine G Abraham and James L Medoff, Journal of Human Resources 16(2 ), 186-216, April 1981.
• Experience, Performance and Earnings, James L. Medoff and Katharine G. Abraham, The Quarterly Journal of Economics 95(4 ), 703-736, January 1980.