Jonathan Levin

Research Statement

Jonathan Levin is an applied economist whose research is in the field of industrial organization. He is best known for his work on contracting relationships and on the design of market rules and institutions. In the last few years, he has studied subprime lending, health insurance, the allocation of radio spectrum, and the economics of internet markets.

Bio

Jonathan Levin is the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was appointed as the 10th dean of the school in September 2016.

Dean Levin joined the Stanford faculty as an assistant professor in 2000. He rose through the ranks to become the Holbrook Working Professor of Price Theory in the Department of Economics. He has taught market design, game theory, microeconomics, and industrial organization at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dean Levin was chair of the Department of Economics from 2011 to 2014. He was also professor, by courtesy, at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and director of the Industrial Organization Program at the National Bureau for Economic Research.

He is known for his scholarship in industrial organization. His research has spanned a range of topics, including auction and marketplace design, the economics of organizations, consumer finance, and econometric methods. His recent research has focused on internet platforms, the health care system, and ways to incorporate new datasets into economic research.

Dean Levin received the John Bates Clark Medal in 2011 as the economist under the age of 40 working in the United States who made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of The Econometric Society, and a former Guggenheim Fellow, among many honors. Over the course of his career at Stanford, Dean Levin has won department and schoolwide awards for distinguished teaching. Beyond Stanford, he has served as an elected member of the American Economic Association’s Executive Committee, and he was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

He earned a BS in math and a BA in English from Stanford in 1994, a Master of Philosophy in economics from Oxford University in 1996, and a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.

In addition to undertaking academic research, Dean Levin has consulted for a number of Fortune 500 companies, as well as the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Treasury. He was one of the economists who participated in the design of the FCC’s broadcast incentive auction, and he was part of the international expert group that designed the first vaccine advance market commitment.

Dean Levin resides in Palo Alto with his wife, Amy, a physician, and his three children. Outside of work, he enjoys watching his children’s soccer games and being active with his family in the community.

Academic Degrees

• PhD, Economics, MIT, 1999
• M. Phil, Economics, Oxford University, 1996
• BA, English, Stanford University, 1994
• BS, Mathematics, Stanford University, 1994

Academic Appointments

• Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2016-present
• Holbrook Working Professor of Price Theory, 2012-2016
• Professor (by Courtesy), Graduate School of Business, 2010-2016
• Full Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University, 2008-2016
• Chair of the Department of Economics, 2011-2014
• Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University, 2005-2008
• Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University, 2000-2005

Professional Experience

• Advisory Board of econjobmarket.org, 2009-2013
• Sloan Foundation Fellowship Committee, 2009-2014
• External Visiting Committee, Yale Economics Department, 2011
• Futures Seminar, Johns Hopkins Economics Department, 2011
• IGM Chicago Booth Experts Panel, 2011-present
• Executive Committee, American Economic Association, 2013-2015
• Council of the Econometric Society, 2013-2015

Awards and Honors

• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2014
• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, 2014
• American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Best Paper Award, 2014
• Fellow, Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory, 2013
• Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum, 2012
• John Bates Clark Medal, 2011
• Fellow, Econometric Society, 2008
• Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium, 2006
• Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford, 2005
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2004-2006
• Department of Economics Teaching Prize, Stanford, 2004
• Review of Economic Studies Speaking Tour, 1999
• Robert M. Solow Graduate Fellowship, M.I.T., 1996-1999
• George Webb Medley Thesis Prize, Oxford, 1996
• George Webb Medley Exam Prize, Oxford, 1996
• Fulbright Scholarship, 1994-1996
• English Speaking Union Winston Churchill Scholarship, 1994-1996
• Phi Beta Kappa, 1993
• President’s Award for Academic Performance, Stanford, 1991

Insights by Stanford Business

writtenWhat to Read over the Holidays

December 5, 2017

15 Stanford business professors recommend books for those long winter nights.

writtenPhilip Knight: “For an Entrepreneur, Every Day Is a Crisis”

September 15, 2017

The co-founder of Nike discusses the business challenge that almost sank his company, and the charitable causes that make a difference.

writtenTwelve Business Books to Read in 2017

December 6, 2016

Reading recommendations from the Stanford GSB community.

writtenHow Smart Bidders Can Manipulate Massive Auctions

November 29, 2016

Why do some companies pay less for broadcast and wireless spectrum? They leverage a flaw in the process.

writtenAn Interview With the New Stanford GSB Dean

August 16, 2016

Jonathan Levin talks auction theory, business education, and dinner-table economics.

writtenAre Sick People Paying the Right Amount for Insurance?

February 27, 2013

New Stanford research says those with big health problems may be getting less for their money than they could — and raising prices for all.