Bio

Jonathan Levin, a distinguished economist and academic leader, became Stanford University president on August 1, 2024. Previously, he was the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Levin is widely recognized for his scholarship in microeconomics and industrial organization. He received the John Bates Clark Medal as the outstanding American economist under the age of 40. He currently serves as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • Dean, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University (2016 - 2024)
  • Fellow, Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (2013 - 2013)
  • Holbrook Working Professor of Price Theory, Stanford University (2012 - Present)
  • Chair of the Department of Economics, Stanford University (2011 - 2014)
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2009 - Present)
  • Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research (2008 - Present)
  • Fellow, Econometric Society (2008 - 2008)
  • Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (2007 - 2008)
  • Associate Professor, Stanford University (2005 - 2008)
  • Faculty Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2004 - 2009)
  • Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research (2004 - 2008)
  • Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2004 - 2006)
  • National Fellowship, Hoover Institution (2002 - 2003)
  • Assistant Professor, Stanford University (2000 - 2005)
  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Cowles Foundation (1999 - 2000)

Honors & Awards

  • Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2012)
  • John Bates Clark Medal, American Economic Association (2011)
  • Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford (2005)
  • Department of Economics Teaching Prize, Stanford (2004)
  • George Webb Medley Thesis Prize, Oxford (1996)
  • George Webb Medley Exam Prize, Oxford (1996)
  • Winston Churchill Scholarship, English Speaking Union (1994-1996)
  • President's Award for Academic Performance, Stanford (1991)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Stanford University (2021 - Present)
  • Trustee, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (2020 - Present)
  • Member, Council of the Econometric Society (2013 - 2015)
  • Member, Executive Committee, American Economic Association (2013 - 2015)
  • Executive Committee Member, Public Policy Program, Stanford University (2011 - 2014)
  • Member, Appointment and Promotions Committee, Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University (2011 - 2014)
  • Associate Editor, Econometrica (2011 - 2013)
  • Member, Provost's Diversity Cabinet, Stanford University (2010 - 2011)
  • Member, Sloan Foundation Fellowship Committee (2009 - 2014)
  • Member, Advisory Board of econjobmarket.org (2009 - 2013)
  • Associate Editor, Theoretical Economics (2009 - 2011)
  • Member, Working Group on Health Information Technology (2009 - 2010)
  • Member, Toulouse Network on Information Technology (2008 - 2019)
  • Foreign Editor, Review of Economic Studies (2008 - 2011)
  • Graduate Placement Officer, Stanford University (2008 - 2009)
  • Member, Committee on Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, Stanford University (2007 - 2013)
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Economic Literature (2006 - 2009)
  • Associate Editor, American Economic Review (2005 - 2014)
  • Associate Editor, Rand Journal of Economics (2005 - 2011)
  • Member, Phi Beta Kappa (1993 - 1993)

Program Affiliations

  • Public Policy

Professional Education

  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Economics (1999)
  • M.Phil., Oxford University, Economics (1996)
  • B.S., Stanford University, Mathematics (1994)
  • B.A, Stanford University, English (1994)

Contact

  • Academic
    University - Faculty Department: President's Office Position: President
    • 450 Jane Stanford Way Bldg 10
    • Office Of The President
    • Stanford,  California  94305 

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 2060
  • Other Names:
    Jon Levin

Links

2024-25 Courses

All Publications

  • The impact of credit scoring on consumer lending RAND JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Einav, L., Jenkins, M., Levin, J. 2013; 44 (2): 249-274

    View details for DOI 10.1111/1756-2171.12019

    View details for Web of Science ID 000320557300004

  • Set-Asides and Subsidies in Auctions AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MICROECONOMICS Athey, S., Coey, D., Levin, J. 2013; 5 (1): 1-27

    View details for DOI 10.1257/mic.5.1.1

    View details for Web of Science ID 000314063400001

  • The Economics of Internet Markets Advances in Economics and Econometrics Levin, J. D. edited by Acemoglu, D., Arellano, M., Dekel, E. Cambridge University Press. 2013
  • Profit Sharing and the Role of Professional Partnerships The Economics of Worker Cooperatives Levin, J. D., Tadellis, S. edited by Pencavel, J. Edward Elgar. 2013
  • Pricing and Welfare in Health Plan Choice AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bundorf, M. K., Levin, J., Mahoney, N. 2012; 102 (7): 3214-3248

    Abstract

    Premiums in health insurance markets frequently do not reflect individual differences in costs, either because consumers have private information or because prices are not risk rated. This creates inefficiencies when consumers self-select into plans. We develop a simple econometric model to study this problem and estimate it using data on small employers. We find a welfare loss of 2-11 percent of coverage costs compared to what is feasible with risk rating. Only about one-quarter of this is due to inefficiently chosen uniform contribution levels. We also investigate the reclassification risk created by risk rating individual incremental premiums, finding only a modest welfare cost.

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.102.7.3214

    View details for Web of Science ID 000312093000004

  • Amy Finkelstein: 2012 John Bates Clark Medalist JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Levin, J., Poterba, J. 2012; 26 (4): 171-184

    View details for DOI 10.1257/jep.26.4.171

    View details for Web of Science ID 000310776500009

  • Contract Pricing in Consumer Credit Markets ECONOMETRICA Einav, L., Jenkins, M., Levin, J. 2012; 80 (4): 1387-1432

    View details for DOI 10.3982/ECTA7677

    View details for Web of Science ID 000306761800002

  • Vertical Integration and Market Structure Handbook of Organizational Economics Levin, J. D., Bresnahan, T. edited by Gibbons, R., Roberts, D. J. Princeton University Press. 2012
  • Empirical Industrial Organization Voprosy Economiki Levin, J. D., Einav, L. 2012
  • COMPARING OPEN AND SEALED BID AUCTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM TIMBER AUCTIONS QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Athey, S., Levin, J., Seira, E. 2011; 126 (1): 207-257

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qjq001

    View details for Web of Science ID 000289627300005

  • Early Admissions at Selective Colleges AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Avery, C., Levin, J. 2010; 100 (5): 2125-2156

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.100.5.2125

    View details for Web of Science ID 000285141700007

  • CONTRACTING FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM US CITIES JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS Levin, J., Tadelis, S. 2010; 58 (3): 507-541

    View details for Web of Science ID 000281658000002

  • Online Advertising: Heterogeneity and Conflation in Market Design 122nd Annual Meeting of the American-Economics-Association Levin, J., Milgrom, P. AMER ECONOMIC ASSOC. 2010: 603–7

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.100.2.603

    View details for Web of Science ID 000278389300116

  • Empirical Industrial Organization: A Progress Report JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Einav, L., Levin, J. 2010; 24 (2): 145-162

    View details for DOI 10.1257/jep.24.2.145

    View details for Web of Science ID 000278981600010

  • Beyond Testing: Empirical Models of Insurance Markets ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECONOMICS, VOL 2 Einav, L., Finkelstein, A., Levin, J. 2010; 2: 311-336

    View details for DOI 10.1146/annurev.economics.050708.143254

    View details for Web of Science ID 000290636900012

  • Toward a 21st-Century Health Care System: Recommendations for Health Care Reform ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE Arrow, K., Auerbach, A., Bertko, J., Brownlee, S., Casalino, L. P., Cooper, J., Crosson, F. J., Enthoven, A., Falcone, E., Feldman, R. C., Fuchs, V. R., Garber, A. M., Gold, M. R., Goldman, D., Hadfield, G. K., Hall, M. A., Horwitz, R. I., Hooven, M., Jacobson, P. D., Jost, T. S., Kotlikoff, L. J., Levin, J., Levine, S., Levy, R., Linscott, K., Luft, H. S., Mashal, R., McFadden, D., Mechanic, D., Meltzer, D., Newhouse, J. P., Noll, R. G., Pietzsch, J. B., Pizzo, P., Reischauer, R. D., Rosenbaum, S., Sage, W., Schaeffer, L. D., Sheen, E., Silber, M., Skinner, J., Shortell, S. M., Thier, S. O., Tunis, S., Wulsin, L., Yock, P., Bin Nun, G., Bryan, S., Luxenburg, O., van de Ven, W. P. 2009; 150 (7): 493-?

    Abstract

    The coverage, cost, and quality problems of the U.S. health care system are evident. Sustainable health care reform must go beyond financing expanded access to care to substantially changing the organization and delivery of care. The FRESH-Thinking Project (www.fresh-thinking.org) held a series of workshops during which physicians, health policy experts, health insurance executives, business leaders, hospital administrators, economists, and others who represent diverse perspectives came together. This group agreed that the following 8 recommendations are fundamental to successful reform: 1. Replace the current fee-for-service payment system with a payment system that encourages and rewards innovation in the efficient delivery of quality care. The new payment system should invest in the development of outcome measures to guide payment. 2. Establish a securely funded, independent agency to sponsor and evaluate research on the comparative effectiveness of drugs, devices, and other medical interventions. 3. Simplify and rationalize federal and state laws and regulations to facilitate organizational innovation, support care coordination, and streamline financial and administrative functions. 4. Develop a health information technology infrastructure with national standards of interoperability to promote data exchange. 5. Create a national health database with the participation of all payers, delivery systems, and others who own health care data. Agree on methods to make de-identified information from this database on clinical interventions, patient outcomes, and costs available to researchers. 6. Identify revenue sources, including a cap on the tax exclusion of employer-based health insurance, to subsidize health care coverage with the goal of insuring all Americans. 7. Create state or regional insurance exchanges to pool risk, so that Americans without access to employer-based or other group insurance could obtain a standard benefits package through these exchanges. Employers should also be allowed to participate in these exchanges for their employees' coverage. 8. Create a health coverage board with broad stakeholder representation to determine and periodically update the affordable standard benefit package available through state or regional insurance exchanges.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000265117600008

    View details for PubMedID 19258550

  • Liquidity Constraints and Imperfect Information in Subprime Lending AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Adams, W., Einav, L., Levin, J. 2009; 99 (1): 49-84

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.99.1.49

    View details for Web of Science ID 000264785500003

  • The Dynamics of Collective Reputation B E JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL ECONOMICS Levin, J. 2009; 9 (1)

    View details for Web of Science ID 000269470100001

  • Relational Incentive Contracts The Economics of Contracts Levin, J. D. edited by Bolton, P. Edward Elgar. 2008
  • Estimating dynamic models of imperfect competition ECONOMETRICA Bajari, P., Benkard, C. L., Levin, J. 2007; 75 (5): 1331-1370

    View details for Web of Science ID 000248850600003

  • Matching and price competition AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bulow, J., Levin, J. 2006; 96 (3): 652-668

    View details for Web of Science ID 000238567400009

  • Profit sharing and the role of professional partnerships QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Levin, J., Tadelis, S. 2005; 120 (1): 131-171

    View details for Web of Science ID 000227607200004

  • Information and Competition in U.S. Forest Service Timber Auctions Empirical Industrial Organization Levin, J. D., Athey, S. edited by Joskow, P., Waterson, M. Edward Elgar. 2004
  • An Introduction to Vote-Counting Schemes Readings in Public Choice Economics Levin, J. D. edited by Heckelman, J. University of Michigan Press. 2004
  • Relational incentive contracts AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Levin, J. 2003; 93 (3): 835-857

    View details for Web of Science ID 000183799900017

  • Patent Oppositions Economics for an Imperfect World: Essays in Honor of Joseph Stiglitz Levin, J. D., Levin, R. edited by Arnott, R., Greenwald, B., Kanbur, R., Nalebuff, B. Cambridge: MIT Press. 2003
  • Patent Oppositions Patents in the Knowledge-Based Economy Levin, J. D., Levin, R. edited by Cohen, W., Merill, S. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press. 2003: 120–141
  • Multilateral contracting and the employment relationship QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Levin, J. 2002; 117 (3): 1075-1103

    View details for Web of Science ID 000177398100009

  • Information and competition in US forest service timber auctions JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY Athey, S., Levin, J. 2001; 109 (2): 375-417

    View details for Web of Science ID 000167576100007

  • Information and the market for lemons RAND JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Levin, J. 2001; 32 (4): 657-666

    View details for Web of Science ID 000173670900004

  • An optimal auction for complements GAMES AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR Levin, J. 1997; 18 (2): 176-192

    View details for Web of Science ID A1997WK50200003

  • An Introduction to Vote-Counting Schemes Essays in Microeconomic Theory Levin, J. D. edited by Manna, M. L. London: The Dryden Press. 1997: 467–489
  • AN INTRODUCTION TO VOTE-COUNTING SCHEMES JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Levin, J., NALEBUFF, B. 1995; 9 (1): 3-26

    View details for Web of Science ID A1995QM20500001