Economics Professor Shapes Tax Policy for Biden

Prof. Kimberly Clausing will lead the Office of Tax Analysis in the Treasury Department.

Prof. Kimberly Clausing, the Thormund A. Miller and Walter Mintz Professor of Economics at Reed College, was sworn in today as a deputy assistant secretary in the US Treasury Department, where she will lead the Office of Tax Analysis for the Biden-Harris administration.

In this role, Prof. Clausing will be involved in the administration’s tax policy efforts to address the many challenges facing the country, including the pandemic, economic recovery, climate change, and societal inequities. 

“The tax code reflects our values as a society,” Clausing said. “Under the Biden administration, I hope that we can modernize our tax code to be more true to our values, and to respond seriously to the challenges of income inequality, climate change, and the pressing need to create a more equitable, open global economy.” 

Clausing is an expert on international trade, international finance, public finance, and corporate tax avoidance. She is the author of Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital and scores of scholarly papers and articles; major media outlets such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal often lean on her expertise to explain byzantine economic theory.

“During this challenging time, it is heartening for Kim to step up to serve in the Treasury Department and focus on addressing the challenges of reforming the tax code,” notes Dean of the Faculty Kathryn Oleson. “With her forward-looking and intellectually rigorous approach to tax policy, Kim is exactly the right person to lead the Office of Tax Analysis” 

Clausing has received two Fulbright Research awards (to Belgium and Cyprus), and her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the International Centre for Tax and Development, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. She has worked on economic policy research with the International Monetary Fund, the Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution, and the Tax Policy Center, and she has testified before both the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Committee on Finance. She earned her B.A. from Carleton College and her Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Clausing will work on tax policy under the leadership of Secretary Janet Yellen, the first woman to serve as treasury secretary in the department’s 232 years.

 

Tags: Awards & Achievements, Professors