About
Robert Pollak is the Hernreich Distinguished Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis, holding a joint appointment with the Olin Business School and the Department of Economics. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the Labor Studies division. His research focuses on environmental policy, demography, labor economics, and the economics of the family, with notable contributions to understanding household behavior, intergenerational relations, and family bargaining dynamics.
Pollak has authored influential books, including From Parent to Child: Intrahousehold Allocations and Intergenerational Relations and The Theory of the Cost-of-Living Index. He has served on prestigious committees such as the National Academy of Sciences panel on Cost-of-Living Indexes and the MacArthur Foundation Network on the Family and the Economy. His editorial roles include stints with the International Economic Review and Demography.
He has received major accolades, including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1999), the Mindel C. Sheps Award (2000), and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work bridges economic theory with real-world issues, emphasizing family structure, resource allocation, and long-term care dynamics.
