Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research is a company.
Key people at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
Key people at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) is a nonpartisan research institute at Stanford University, not a company or investment firm, dedicated to generating evidence-based economic knowledge to inform policymaking.[1][2][3] Its mission is to catalyze research on pressing economic issues—such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, regulation, innovation, and global development—while bridging academics, policymakers, businesses, and the public to improve living standards worldwide.[1][2][3] SIEPR supports over 100 faculty from Stanford's seven schools, hosts centers like the Stanford King Center on Global Development, and runs programs training future economists, though it does not invest in startups or manage portfolios.[1][5]
SIEPR was founded in 1982 by Stanford economists George Shultz and Michael Boskin, who aimed to unite economic scholars across campus—spanning the Economics Department, Graduate School of Business, Hoover Institution, and beyond—to connect academic research with real-world policymakers.[2][3] Conceived amid a need for nonpartisan analysis, it drew on Shultz's policymaking experience (including as U.S. Secretary of State) and Boskin's expertise to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.[3] Over decades, SIEPR evolved from core focuses on fiscal, monetary, and regulatory policy to include Silicon Valley-driven expertise in innovation and emerging technologies, housing four centers and five programs while maintaining strict nonpartisanship; leadership has included directors like John Shoven, Lawrence J. Lau, James Sweeney, and current director Mark Duggan, with Neale Mahoney as Trione Director.[1][2][3][5]
SIEPR rides the wave of data-intensive economic policymaking amid tech-driven disruptions like AI, fintech, and digital markets, analyzing their social and economic impacts from its Silicon Valley base.[3] Timing is ideal post-2020s policy shifts (e.g., inflation, regulation), where nonpartisan evidence counters polarization—scholars have shaped U.S. health/finance policies and Indian banking access.[3] Market forces favoring it include Stanford's tech ecosystem and demand for expert testimony amid global challenges like poverty and inequality.[1][5] It influences the ecosystem by training economists for tech firms/government and fostering innovation policy, indirectly boosting startup-friendly regulations without direct investment.[3]
SIEPR's influence will grow as economic volatility persists, with expansions in AI ethics, climate policy, and global development via events like the 2025 Summit.[5] Trends like data regulation and tech inequality will shape it, amplifying its "phone-a-friend" role for leaders.[5] Expect deeper tech-policy integrations, evolving from research convener to pivotal advisor—reinforcing its founding vision of evidence-based solutions that elevate lives, far beyond a mere academic outpost.[1][2]
