Who will replace Romer at CEA?

Some gossip from Ezra Klein and a few bits of history on the extent to which the CEA is just for academic economists and a discussion of the leading candidates at the Christian Science Monitor.

Austan Goolsbee is a good guy but to be honest I would not wish the job on anyone, as it involves standing in front of TV cameras saying things you do not actually agree with because you are part of an administration "team" that makes political decisions, not economic ones. I watched Ed Lazear do this at the end of the Bush II administration and Romer did it too, even on topics related to her own research. Blecch!

I do think it would send an odd signal to appoint a non-academic to head the CEA, particularly for the top position and particularly for an administration that likes to position itself as knowledge-based.

As a loosely related aside, last week I did a one day trip to DC to attend a technical working group meeting. Because I fly a lot, I get to board the DTW to DCA flight early, and then watch and, in this case, listen to, everyone else. One older man, who along with his somewhat younger and clearly subordinate companion, paused for a few moments by my row, said "... I know Larry Summers inside and out, and he is not what we need right now ..." Unfortunately, I did not recognize either party to the conversation and so have no idea what position it was about, but it was odd to hear people on a plane talking about someone I "know" in a loose sense.

Hat tip to Helen Levy on the Ezra Klein piece.

Economists gone wild

The NYT details the surprisingly lively personal life of OMB budget geek Peter Orzag, who has a kid with his ex-wife, a kid with a mistress and is now engaged to yet a third woman.

Where does he find the time? Where does he find the emotional energy?

Hat tip: Ken Troske

Raj Chetty to Harvard

Here is the news as reported by Greg Mankiw.

I think this is good news for Michigan as it should make UCB less attractive to Jim Hines.

Romergate

The economics gossip world is awash in talk about the decision of Harvard President Drew Faust to nix an offer voted by the economics department to Christina Romer.

Coverage from David Warsh of Economic Principals here. Economic Principals is well worth reading in general though I think he would reject the term blog that the Crimson applies in favor of internet column or something like that.

Coverage from the Harvard Crimson here. You really notice at the end that David Card did not go to Harvard, which I guess is the point of putting the year of graduation after the names of those who did.

As far as I can recall I have never met either Chrsitina Romer or her husband David Romer but Christina was the speaker at one of the more memorable applications workshops I attended as a student.

Hat tip (on the Crimson piece) to marginal revolution.