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William A. Niskanen
Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Senior Economist
William A. Niskanen is chairman emeritus and a distinguished senior economist at the Cato Institute. Between 1985 and 2008, Niskanen was the chairman of the Cato Institute, following service as a member and acting chairman of President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers. Niskanen has served as director of economics at the Ford Motor Company, professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles, assistant director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, a defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, the director of special studies in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the director of the Program Analysis division at the Institute of Defense Analysis. He has written on many public policy issues including corporate governance, defense, federal budget policy, regulation, Social Security, taxes, and trade. Niskanen's 1971 book Bureaucracy and Representative Government is considered a classic. His most recent book is Reflections of a Political Economist: Selected Articles on Government Policies and Political Processes. Niskanen holds a B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago recently honored him with a lifetime professional service award.
Media Contact: 202-789-5200
To Book a Speaking Engagement: 202-789-5226
E-Mail: wniskan@cato.org
Books and Book Chapters
"Monetary Policy and Financial Regulation," Chapter 36 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
After Enron: The Major Lessons for Public Policy, editor, (2005)
Autocratic, Democratic and Optimal Government: Fiscal Choices and Economic Outcomes (2004)
Policy Analysis And Public Choice: Selected Papers By William A. Niskanen (2004)
Cato Studies
"New Evidence on the Old Phillips Curve," by William A. Niskanen and Alan Reynolds, Tax & Budget Bulletin no. 5, May 1, 2002.
"Proffer of Dr. William A. Niskanen," White Paper, November 15, 2000.
"Supply-Side Tax Cuts and the Truth about the Reagan Economic Record," by William A. Niskanen and Stephen Moore, Policy Analysis no. 261, October 22, 1996.
"Crime, Police, and Root Causes," Policy Analysis no. 218, November 14, 1994.
"How to Balance the Budget by Reducing Spending," by William A. Niskanen and Stephen Moore, Policy Analysis no. 194, April 22, 1993.
Articles and Newsletters
"The Undemanding Ethics of Capitalism," Cato Journal, Fall 2009.
"How to Turn a Recession into a Depression," Cato Policy Report, March/April 2009.
"A Case for a Different Libertarian Party," Cato Policy Report, September/October 2008.
"Some Major Threats to Limited Government," Cato Policy Report, March/April 2008.
"Dumb,Greedy, and Ugly," Cato Policy Report, September/October 2007.
Opinion and Commentary
"Problems with Accounting Standards," The New York Times (Online), December 20, 2010
"Slow Down the Political Response to a Perceived Crisis," Cato.org, February 9, 2009
"Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley--Lock, Stock And Barrel," Forbes, December 17, 2008
"To Rebuild the GOP," Washington Times, November 28, 2008
"In Defense Of Liberty," Forbes, October 21, 2008
Cato @ Liberty Blog Posts
"Boehner's Price for Increasing the Federal Debt Limit," May 12, 2011
"Martin Feldstein on the Defense Budget ," May 6, 2011
"Cite the Constitutional Authority or the Lack Thereof!," January 20, 2011
"Obama's Constitution," January 26, 2009
"Another $700 Billion," September 25, 2008
Events
"The Future of Public Transit: What Is the Role of the Federal Government?," November 10, 2010 [Policy Forum]
"The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution 1980–1989," August 27, 2009 [Book Forum]
"The Financial Fix — Limited Purpose Banking," June 8, 2009 [Policy Forum]
"Back to Enron: Were the Wrong Lessons Learned for Corporate Governance and Energy Policy?," October 30, 2008 [Book Forum]
"25th Annual Monetary Conference: Monetary Arrangements in the 21st Century," November 14, 2007 [Conference]
Multimedia
Reagan at 100 (February 4, 2011) [Daily Podcast, 16:47]
The Future of Public Transit: What Is the Role of the Federal Government? with Randal O'Toole (November 10, 2010) [Events, 01:22:04]
Rating the Rating Houses (March 30, 2010) [Daily Podcast, 10:09]
The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution 1980–1989 (August 27, 2009) [Events, 01:10:02]
William H. Niskanen discusses the economy on CNN Radio's The Wall Street Shuffle (August 3, 2009) [Media Highlights - Radio, 13:33]
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