Benjamin S. Griffy

Benjamin S. Griffy is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he has been on faculty since August 2018, transitioning from Assistant Professor to Visiting Assistant Professor in August 2024. His research focuses on the impact of labor market frictions and other market imperfections on inequality and the aggregate economy. He teaches search theory at the graduate level and money and banking at the undergraduate level, including PhD Quantitative Macro-Labor and PhD Macro II courses.

Dr. Griffy received his PhD in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in June 2018, following an MA in Economics from the same institution in July 2013. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, earning a BS in Economics and Mathematics with Honors in June 2012.

His primary research interests lie at the intersection of macroeconomics and labor economics, with a particular focus on search theory, inequality, wage dispersion, and human capital. His work frequently examines how labor market frictions affect economic outcomes across different segments of the population, especially regarding wealth and income inequality. He employs quantitative macro-labor models incorporating incomplete markets, endogenous human capital accumulation, and search externalities to analyze these complex dynamics.

Dr. Griffy's publication record reveals a consistent research trajectory examining how labor market institutions interact with search frictions to affect economic outcomes. His work spans unemployment insurance effects, job polarization, wealth impacts on human capital development, and labor force participation dynamics. A unifying theme across his research is investigating how market imperfections amplify inequality and influence aggregate economic performance, with particular attention to life-cycle perspectives and policy implications.

• Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP), 2021
• Andron Fellowship, 2012-2013
• Block Grant, 2012-2013
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant (PhD Macro I), Fall 2014
• Graduate Student Research and Travel Grant, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016

Dr. Griffy serves as a referee for numerous prestigious economics journals including the Review of Economic Studies, American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, and International Economic Review. He has organized several academic conferences, including the Demographic Inequality and the Macroeconomy conference at University at Albany in April 2025, and multiple UCSB/LAEF Labor Markets and Macroeconomic Outcomes Conferences. His extensive conference presentation history includes appearances at the Society of Economic Dynamics, Federal Reserve Banks, and major university seminars across the United States and internationally.