Carol Graham

Carol Graham is Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, College Park Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, and Gallup Senior Scientist. She holds leadership roles in Brookings' Economic Studies program, Center on Social Dynamics and Policy, and Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative, while contributing to United Nations expert groups on GDP alternatives.

Her research spans subjective well-being, economic inequality, and development economics with regional focus on Latin America. Graham pioneered the integration of happiness metrics into economic policy, examining how aspirations, insecurity, and social context shape well-being across diverse populations. Her work reveals critical disparities in happiness between racial groups in America and paradoxical patterns in developing economies.

Recent publications analyze pandemic resilience, labor market despair, and longitudinal adolescent aspirations in Peru. Graham's influential books—including The Power of Hope (2023) and Happiness for All? (2017)—have reshaped discourse on well-being measurement. Her research consistently bridges academic rigor and policy relevance through publications in Science, Health Affairs, and World Bank Research Observer.

• Pioneer Award (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017, 2021)
• Lifetime Distinguished Scholar (International Society of Quality of Life Studies, 2018)
• Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship (1997-98)

Graham has advised the IMF, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank on safety net programs across Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Her research receives funding from MacArthur, Hewlett, and Templeton Foundations. She serves as senior editor of Behavioral Science and Policy and contributes to multiple journal editorial boards, while frequently testifying before Congress and engaging media outlets including The New Yorker and Financial Times.