Academic Appointments


Administrative Appointments


  • Professor, Stanford University, Department of Economics (2012 - Present)
  • Professor by Courtesy, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business (2012 - Present)
  • Co-Director of the Productivity Program, National Bureau of Economic Research (2011 - Present)
  • Associate Professor (with tenure), Stanford University, Department of Economics (2009 - 2012)
  • Assistant Professor, Stanford University, Department of Economics (2005 - 2009)
  • Research Fellow, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics (2003 - 2006)
  • Associate Consultant, McKinsey & Company (2002 - 2003)
  • Business Tax Policy Advisor, HM Treasury (2001 - 2002)
  • Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies (1996 - 2002)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2013 - 2013)
  • Fellow, Econometrics Society (2011 - 2011)
  • Research Fellowship, Alfred Sloan Foundation (2008 - 2010)

Honors & Awards


  • EIB Prize, European Investment Bank (2015)
  • Kauffman Medal, Kauffman Foundation (2013)
  • John T Dunlop Scholar Award, Labor Economics Research Association (2008)
  • PhD advising award, Stanford Graduate Economics Association (2008)
  • Addington Prize, Fraser Institute (2013)
  • Bemacer Prize, Observatorio del Banco Central Europeo (OBCE) (2012)
  • Frisch Medal, Econometric Society (2010)
  • Bemacer Prize, Observatrio del Banco Central Europeo (2012)
  • Frisch Medal, The Econometrics Society (2010)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Associate Editor, Econometrica (2012 - Present)
  • Associate Editor, Quarterly Journal of Economics (2012 - Present)
  • Member, Editorial Review Board, Academy of Management Perspectives (2011 - Present)
  • Associate Editor, Management Science (2011 - Present)
  • Memberr, Board of Editors, Journal of Economic Literature (2010 - Present)
  • Member, American Economic Journal of Macro (2009 - Present)
  • Associate Editor, Economic Journal (2009 - Present)
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Monetary Economics (2008 - 2010)
  • Research Associate, Centre for Economic Performance
  • Affiliate, J-PAL
  • Co-Director of Productivity, NBER
  • Associate, EF&G and Monetary Economics programs, NBER
  • Member, San Francisco Federal Reserve Board
  • Research Fellow, Centre for Economic Policy Research
  • Research Fellow, IZA
  • Associate, Toulouse Network for Information Technology
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy

Professional Education


  • BA, Cambridge University, Fitzwilliam College, Economics (1994)
  • MPhil., Oxford University, St. Peters College, Economics (1996)
  • PhD, University College London, Economics (2001)

2024-25 Courses


Stanford Advisees


All Publications


  • Trade and Management REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS Bloom, N., Manova, K., Van Reenen, J., Sun, S., Yu, Z. 2021; 103 (3): 443-460
  • The World Management Survey at 18: lessons and the way forward OXFORD REVIEW OF ECONOMIC POLICY Scur, D., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J., Lemos, R., Bloom, N. 2021; 37 (2): 231-258
  • Turbulence. Firm Decentralization. and Growth in Bad Times AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS Aghion, P., Bloom, N., Lucking, B., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2021; 13 (1): 133–69
  • TRAPPED FACTORS AND CHINA'S IMPACT ON GLOBAL GROWTH ECONOMIC JOURNAL Bloom, N., Romer, P., Terry, S. J., Van Reenen, J. 2021; 131 (633): 156–91

    View details for DOI 10.1093/ej/ueaa086

    View details for Web of Science ID 000637047500006

  • The Unprecedented Stock Market Reaction to COVID-19 REVIEW OF ASSET PRICING STUDIES Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J., Kost, K., Sammon, M., Viratyosin, T. 2020; 10 (4): 742–58
  • Firm performance and macro forecast accuracy JOURNAL OF MONETARY ECONOMICS Tanaka, M., Bloom, N., David, J. M., Koga, M. 2020; 114: 26–41
  • Economic Uncertainty Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of public economics Altig, D., Baker, S., Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., Bunn, P., Chen, S., Davis, S. J., Leather, J., Meyer, B., Mihaylov, E., Mizen, P., Parker, N., Renault, T., Smietanka, P., Thwaites, G. 2020: 104274

    Abstract

    We consider several economic uncertainty indicators for the US and UK before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: implied stock market volatility, newspaper-based policy uncertainty, twitter chatter about economic uncertainty, subjective uncertainty about business growth, forecaster disagreement about future GDP growth, and a model-based measure of macro uncertainty. Four results emerge. First, all indicators show huge uncertainty jumps in reaction to the pandemic and its economic fallout. Indeed, most indicators reach their highest values on record. Second, peak amplitudes differ greatly - from a 35% rise for the model-based measure of US economic uncertainty (relative to January 2020) to a 20-fold rise in forecaster disagreement about UK growth. Third, time paths also differ: Implied volatility rose rapidly from late February, peaked in mid-March, and fell back by late March as stock prices began to recover. In contrast, broader measures of uncertainty peaked later and then plateaued, as job losses mounted, highlighting differences between Wall Street and Main Street uncertainty measures. Fourth, in Cholesky-identified VAR models fit to monthly U.S. data, a COVID-size uncertainty shock foreshadows peak drops in industrial production of 12-19%.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104274

    View details for PubMedID 32921841

  • Healthy Business? Managerial Education and Management in Health Care REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS Bloom, N., Lemos, R., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2020; 102 (3): 506–17
  • COVID-19 Is Also a Reallocation Shock BROOKINGS PAPERS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Barrero, J., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J. 2020: 329–71
  • Are Ideas Getting Harder to Find? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Jones, C., Van Reenen, J., Webb, M. 2020; 110 (4): 1104–44
  • Do Management Interventions Last? Evidence from India AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Mahajan, A., McKenzie, D., Roberts, J. 2020; 12 (2): 198–219
  • Have R&D Spillovers Declined in the 21(st) Century? FISCAL STUDIES Lucking, B., Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J. 2019; 40 (4): 561–90
  • A toolkit of policies to promote innovation VOPROSY EKONOMIKI Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J., Williams, H. 2019: 5–31
  • A Toolkit of Policies to Promote Innovation JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J., Williams, H. 2019; 33 (3): 163–84
  • What Drives Differences in Management Practices? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Brynjolfsson, E., Foster, L., Jarmin, R., Patnaik, M., Saporta-Eksten, I., Van Reenen, J. 2019; 109 (5): 1648–83
  • THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Song, J., Price, D. J., Guvenen, F., Bloom, N., Von Wachter, T. 2019; 134 (1): 1–50

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qjy025

    View details for Web of Science ID 000489161300001

  • Brexit and Uncertainty: Insights from the Decision Maker Panel FISCAL STUDIES Bloom, N., Bunn, P., Chen, S., Mizen, P., Smietanka, P., Thwaites, G., Young, G. 2018; 39 (4): 555–80
  • Innovation, Reallocation, and Growth AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Acemoglu, D., Akcigit, U., Alp, H., Bloom, N., Kerr, W. 2018; 108 (11): 3450–91
  • Really Uncertain Business Cycles ECONOMETRICA Bloom, N., Floetotto, M., Jaimovich, N., Saporta-Eksten, I., Terry, S. J. 2018; 86 (3): 1031–65

    View details for DOI 10.3982/ECTA10927

    View details for Web of Science ID 000434093400007

  • Management Practices, Workforce Selection, and Productivity JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS Bender, S., Bloom, N., Card, D., Van Reenen, J., Wolter, S. 2018; 36: S371–S409

    View details for DOI 10.1086/694107

    View details for Web of Science ID 000418563400009

  • Observations on Uncertainty AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N. 2017; 50 (1): 79-84
  • Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J. 2016; 131 (4): 1593-1636

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qjw024

    View details for Web of Science ID 000388576700001

  • International Data on Measuring Management Practices AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Lemos, R., Sadun, R., Scur, D., Van Reenen, J. 2016; 106 (5): 152-156
  • Trade Induced Technical Change? The Impact of Chinese Imports on Innovation, IT and Productivity REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES Bloom, N., Draca, M., Van Reenen, J. 2016; 83 (1): 87-117
  • Hospital Board And Management Practices Are Strongly Related To Hospital Performance On Clinical Quality Metrics HEALTH AFFAIRS Tsai, T. C., Jha, A. K., Gawande, A. A., Huckman, R. S., Bloom, N., Sadun, R. 2015; 34 (8): 1304-1311

    Abstract

    National policies to improve health care quality have largely focused on clinical provider outcomes and, more recently, payment reform. Yet the association between hospital leadership and quality, although crucial to driving quality improvement, has not been explored in depth. We collected data from surveys of nationally representative groups of hospitals in the United States and England to examine the relationships among hospital boards, management practices of front-line managers, and the quality of care delivered. First, we found that hospitals with more effective management practices provided higher-quality care. Second, higher-rated hospital boards had superior performance by hospital management staff. Finally, we identified two signatures of high-performing hospital boards and management practice. Hospitals with boards that paid greater attention to clinical quality had management that better monitored quality performance. Similarly, we found that hospitals with boards that used clinical quality metrics more effectively had higher performance by hospital management staff on target setting and operations. These findings help increase understanding of the dynamics among boards, front-line management, and quality of care and could provide new targets for improving care delivery.

    View details for DOI 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1282

    View details for Web of Science ID 000361141000009

    View details for PubMedID 26240243

  • Do Private Equity Owned Firms Have Better Management Practices? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2015; 105 (5): 442-446
  • Does Management Matter in schools? ECONOMIC JOURNAL Bloom, N., Lemos, R., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2015; 125 (584): 647-674

    View details for DOI 10.1111/ecoj.12267

    View details for Web of Science ID 000355237500002

  • The Impact of Competition on Management Quality: Evidence from Public Hospitals REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES Bloom, N., Propper, C., Seiler, S., Van Reenen, J. 2015; 82 (2): 457-489
  • Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., Ying, Z. J. 2015; 130 (1): 165-218

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qju032

    View details for Web of Science ID 000351525000004

  • The Distinct Effects of Information Technology and Communication Technology on Firm Organization MANAGEMENT SCIENCE Bloom, N., Garicano, L., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2014; 60 (12)
  • JEEA-FBBVA LECTURE 2013: THE NEW EMPIRICAL ECONOMICS OF MANAGEMENT JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Bloom, N., Lemos, R., Sadun, R., Scur, D., Van Reenen, J. 2014; 12 (4): 835-876

    View details for DOI 10.1111/jeea.12094

    View details for Web of Science ID 000340677900001

  • Incomplete Contracts and the Internal Organization of Firms JOURNAL OF LAW ECONOMICS & ORGANIZATION Aghion, P., Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J. 2014; 30: 37-63
  • Why Has US Policy Uncertainty Risen Since 1960? AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., Canes-Wrone, B., Davis, S. J., Rodden, J. 2014; 104 (5): 56-60
  • Fluctuations in Uncertainty JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Bloom, N. 2014; 28 (2): 153-175
  • Identifying Technology Spillovers and Product Market Rivalry ECONOMETRICA Bloom, N., Schankerman, M., Van Reenen, J. 2013; 81 (4): 1347-1393

    View details for DOI 10.3982/ECTA9466

    View details for Web of Science ID 000322338400005

  • A Trapped-Factors Model of Innovation AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Romer, P. M., Terry, S. J., Van Reenen, J. 2013; 103 (3): 208-213
  • Management Practices and the Quality of Care in Cardiac Units JAMA INTERNAL MEDICINE McConnell, K. J., Lindrooth, R. C., Wholey, D. R., Maddox, T. M., Bloom, N. 2013; 173 (8): 684-692

    Abstract

    To improve the quality of health care, many researchers have suggested that health care institutions adopt management approaches that have been successful in the manufacturing and technology sectors. However, relatively little information exists about how these practices are disseminated in hospitals and whether they are associated with better performance.To describe the variation in management practices among a large sample of hospital cardiac care units; assess association of these practices with processes of care, readmissions, and mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI); and suggest specific directions for the testing and dissemination of health care management approaches.We adapted an approach used to measure management and organizational practices in manufacturing to collect management data on cardiac units. We scored performance in 18 practices using the following 4 dimensions: standardizing care, tracking of key performance indicators, setting targets, and incentivizing employees. We used multivariate analyses to assess the relationship of management practices with process-of-care measures, 30-day risk-adjusted mortality, and 30-day readmissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Cardiac units in US hospitals.Five hundred ninety-seven cardiac units, representing 51.5% of hospitals with interventional cardiac catheterization laboratories and at least 25 annual AMI discharges.Process-of-care measures, 30-day risk-adjusted mortality, and 30-day readmissions for AMI.We found a wide distribution in management practices, with fewer than 20% of hospitals scoring a 4 or a 5 (best practice) on more than 9 measures. In multivariate analyses, management practices were significantly correlated with mortality (P = .01) and 6 of 6 process measures (P < .05). No statistically significant association was found between management and 30-day readmissions.The use of management practices adopted from manufacturing sectors is associated with higher process-of-care measures and lower 30-day AMI mortality. Given the wide differences in management practices across hospitals, dissemination of these practices may be beneficial in achieving high-quality outcomes.

    View details for DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.3577

    View details for PubMedID 23552986

  • DOES MANAGEMENT MATTER? EVIDENCE FROM INDIA QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Eifert, B., Mahajan, A., McKenzie, D., Roberts, J. 2013; 128 (1): 1-51

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qjs044

    View details for Web of Science ID 000314883900001

  • Does Management Really Work? HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 90 (11): 76-?
  • Does management really work? Harvard business review Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 90 (11): 77-80, 82, 148

    Abstract

    HBR's 90th anniversary is a sensible time to revisit a basic question: Are organizations more likely to succeed if they adopt good management practices? The answer may seem obvious to most HBR readers, but these three economists cast their net much wider than that. In a decadelong study of thousands of organizations in 20 countries, they and their interview teams assessed how well manufacturers, schools, and hospitals adhere to three management basics: targets, incentives, and monitoring. They found that huge numbers of companies follow none of those fundamentals, that adopting the basics yields big improvements in outcomes such as productivity and longevity, and that good nuts-and-bolts management at individual firms shapes national performance. At 14 textile manufacturers in India, for example, an intervention--involving free, high-quality advice from a consultant who was on-site half-time for five months--cut defects by half, reduced inventory by 20%, and raised output by 10%. A control group saw no such gains. The authors' global data set suggests that implementing good management at schools and hospitals yields change more slowly than at manufacturers--but it does come eventually. And the macroeconomic potential--for incomes, productivity, and delivery of critically needed services--is huge. A call for "better management" may sound prosaic, but given the global payoffs, it's actually quite radical.

    View details for PubMedID 23155999

  • The Organization of Firms Across Countries QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 127 (4): 1663-1705

    View details for DOI 10.1093/qje/qje029

    View details for Web of Science ID 000311905500003

  • The land that lean manufacturing forgot? Management practices in transition countries ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION Bloom, N., Schweiger, H., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 20 (4): 593-635
  • Uncertainty and the Economy POLICY REVIEW Bloom, N., Davis, S. J. 2012: 3-13
  • Management Practices Across Firms and Countries ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES Bloom, N., Genakos, C., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 26 (1): 12-33
  • Americans Do IT Better: US Multinationals and the Productivity Miracle AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2012; 102 (1): 167-201
  • ARE FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE PRACTICES A VALUABLE FIRM RESOURCE? STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL Bloom, N., Kretschmer, T., Van Reenen, J. 2011; 32 (4): 343-367

    View details for DOI 10.1002/smj.879

    View details for Web of Science ID 000287765200001

  • Human resource management and productivity Handbook of Labor Economics Bloom, N., Reenen, J. V. 2011
  • Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air? ECONOMIC JOURNAL Bloom, N., Genakos, C., Martin, R., Sadun, R. 2010; 120 (544): 551-572
  • Recent Advances in the Empirics of Organizational Economics ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECONOMICS, VOL 2 Bloom, N., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. 2010; 2: 105-137
  • Why Do Management Practices Differ across Firms and Countries? JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J. 2010; 24 (1): 203-224
  • The Impact of Uncertainty Shocks ECONOMETRICA Bloom, N. 2009; 77 (3): 623-685

    View details for DOI 10.3982/ECTA6248

    View details for Web of Science ID 000266267700001

  • Measuring and explaining management practices across firms and countries QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Van Reenen, J. 2007; 122 (4): 1351-1408
  • Uncertainty and investment dynamics REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES Bloom, N., Bond, S., Van Reenen, J. 2007; 74 (2): 391-415
  • Competition and innovation: An inverted-U relationship QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Aghion, P., Bloom, N., Blundell, R., Griffith, R., Howitt, P. 2005; 120 (2): 701-728
  • Do R&D tax credits work? Evidence from a panel of countries 1979-1997 JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS Bloom, N., Griffith, R., Van Reenen, J. 2002; 85 (1): 1-31
  • Patents, real options and firm performance ECONOMIC JOURNAL Bloom, N., van Reenen, J. 2002; 112 (478): C97-C116