Expertise

public economics, with emphasis on state and local public finance

Profile

Bob Tannenwald has practiced applied public economics for almost 40 years. Prior to joining the Heller School's faculty, he was a Senior Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He spent most of his career--28 years--as an economist and officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He began his career as an analyst with the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
In the 1970s, when Bob first started out, he was struck by the lack of communication between academic experts in public finance, especially at the state and local level, and policymakers, policy advisers, and reporters seeking impartial, expert advice and analysis. As a result, has served as a member and/or research director of five state tax commissions in New England,and has testified scores of times around the nation at federal and state public hearings on fiscal issues and economic and financial conditions. In addition, he has published many articles, book chapters, and reports. He has been frequently invited to give presentations at conferences, symposia, and webinars, both in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2005, Bob had the opportunity to create the New England Public Policy Center, a unit within the Boston Fed explicitly dedicated to providing the region's policymakers, their advisers, members of the media, and policy advocates with high quality, impartial analysis in the areas of state and local public finance, demographics, and labor market conditions. After founding the Center, Bob served as its director for five years, until his retirement from the Fed in 2010.
Bob has been active in the National Tax Association, serving as its President in 2007, the Association's centennial year. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Economic Partnership.