Jeffrey Wenger Named RAND's Distinguished Chair, AI, Workers, and the Economy

Jeffrey Wenger Named RAND's Distinguished Chair, AI, Workers, and the Economy

Jeffrey Wenger, a senior economist at RAND, has been appointed Distinguished Chair, AI, Workers, and the Economy. In the two-year role, he will advance RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure's research agenda on artificial intelligence, including its effects on workers, labor markets, public finances, and the broader economy.

The position is supported by the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation and the Lowy Family Foundation.

Wenger also directs the RAND Lowy Family Middle-Class Pathways Center and the Master of Policy Analysis Program at the RAND School of Public Policy. Additionally, he codirects the RAND von Furstenberg Family Budget Model, a suite of tools that helps decisionmakers understand federal spending and tax policy in unprecedented detail and evaluate ways to improve them.

“This role comes at a critical moment, as AI begins to reshape work and the broader economy,” said Jason Matheny, RAND president and CEO. “Jeff's expertise will strengthen RAND's work in this area and help policymakers understand AI's impacts on economic opportunity.”

Wenger's research focuses on the forces that shape economic opportunity, including middle-class stability and mobility, labor force participation, and the quality of work.

His published work includes A Typology of Economic Shocks and Applications for Macroeconomic Analysis, as well as research on veterans' pathways into civilian careers and how economic policy changes affect the American workforce. He has also coauthored research with RAND colleagues in the American Economic Review on the trade-off between working conditions and wages.

“I'm honored to step into this position and help build on RAND's work on the economic and workforce implications of AI,” Wenger said. “As these technologies continue to evolve, policymakers will need careful research to better understand how they are affecting jobs, mobility, and economic opportunity.”