About
George R. Boyer is the Martin P. Catherwood Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Professor of Economics at Cornell University’s ILR School. He holds dual appointments in Economics and Global Labor and Work. With a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Boyer has been at Cornell since 1982. He served as Interim and Senior Associate Dean (2018–2022), and has led ILR’s teaching initiatives as Director of Teaching for 22 years. His editorial roles include Associate Editor of the Industrial and Labor Relations Review and membership on the boards of Journal of Economic History and Social Science History.
Research focuses on British labor markets (1780–1950), analyzing working-class living standards, social welfare policies, and unemployment dynamics. Major works include The Winding Road to the Welfare State (2018) and An Economic History of the English Poor Law (1990). Teaching emphasizes economic history and thought, covering globalization, welfare state evolution, and macroeconomic policy responses to crises.
Awarded the Cliometric Society’s 'Can' Award (2014) and Cornell’s Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowship (2018), Boyer is committed to teaching excellence. He chairs ILR’s Teaching Advisory Committee, fostering pedagogical innovation. Professional activities include keynote lectures on Frances Perkins and the origins of Social Security, and panel moderations on behavioral economics.
