James Sullivan

Professor
Gilbert F. Schaefer College Professor of Economics, Co-founder, LEO
Economics

Research Interests

Domestic poverty

Related Courses Taught

Labor Economics, Advanced Labor Economics

Biography

James Sullivan is the Gilbert F. Schaefer College Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. He has been a visiting scholar at the National Poverty Center and a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, and in 2019-2020 he served as a national Phi Betta Kappa Visiting Scholar. He was recently appointed to the U.S. Commission on Social Impact Partnerships and he serves on the National Poverty Center Advisory Board. His research examines the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs at the national, state, and local level. He also studies the consumption, saving, and borrowing behavior of poor households, as well as poverty and inequality measurement. Sullivan has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, many of which appear in the top economics journals. His work has been covered by major media outlets including CNN, the Wall St. Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Fox News, Barron’s, Bloomberg News, Slate, the Atlantic Monthly, the Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio, and others. In 2012, with fellow Notre Dame Professor William Evans, Professor Sullivan founded the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). LEO is a research center that works with service providers and policymakers to identify effective and scalable solutions to reduce poverty in America. Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.