Kevin Hassett

Kevin Hassett is a prominent American economist, author, and public policy expert. Born in 1962 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, he earned his BA in economics from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania The New Yorker+15+15What Should I Read Next?+15. He has served in academia and policy, including as a professor at Columbia Business School, an economist at the Federal Reserve Board, and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute The Washington Post+4+4+4.

As an author, Hassett is best known for co-writing Dow 36,000 (1999) with James Glassman—a controversial yet influential book predicting a rapid rise in the stock market The Washington Post+15+15+15. Despite the prediction being widely criticized and derided in hindsight, the work helped establish Hassett’s reputation in economic circles. He has also contributed numerous articles and commentaries on tax policy, fiscal reform, and economic growth Kevin Hassett+5+5+5.

Kevin Hassett’s quotes offer a glimpse into his economic worldview:

“Economists have the same occupational hazard as baseball managers and football coaches: Every person on the street knows their job better than they do.” BrainyQuote+1Quotesia+1
“Taxes can set the level of activity around which the economy fluctuates, but they have very little effect on the fluctuations themselves.” BrainyQuote+1+1
“I prefer to listen to people who change their mind now and then.” Quotesia+3BrainyQuote+3BrainyQuote+3

These reflections highlight Hassett’s pragmatism, emphasis on adaptive thinking, and focus on the interplay between public policy and market dynamics.