James M. Poterba
Mitsui Professor of Economics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Background
James Poterba is the Mitsui Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Poterba is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Director of the NBER's Public Economics Research Program. Professor Poterba's research focuses on the economic analysis of taxation, financial markets, and government expenditure programs. His recent work has emphasized the effect of taxation on the financial behavior of households and firms, and the tax treatment of employee benefits such as employer-provided health insurance and 401(k) plans.
Professor Poterba received his A.B. from Harvard University and his D.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University, which he attended as a Marshall Scholar.
Research Projects for the Center for Retirement Research
Completed
"Saving for Retirement: Taxes Matter" Issue in Brief, #17, May 2004
"Valuing Assets in Retirement Saving Accounts" Working Paper, #2004-11, April 2004
"Household Demand for Variable Annuities" (with Jeffrey R. Brown), Working Paper, #2004-08, March 2004
"Annuity Markets and Retirement Security" Working Paper, #2001-10, June 2001.
Selected Publications
- Poterba, James M. and David A. Wise. 1998. "Individual Financial Decisions in Retirement Saving Plans and the Provision of Resources for Retirement." In Martin Feldstein, ed., Privatizing Social Security. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Poterba, James M., Steven F. Venti, and David A. Wise. 1998. "401(k) Plans and Future Patterns of Retirement Saving." American Economic Review 88(2): 179-184.
- Poterba, James M., Steven F. Venti, and David A. Wise. 1995. "Do 401(k) Contributions Crowd Out Other Private Saving?" Journal of Public Economics 58: 1-32.
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