Donald O. Parsons

Donald O. Parsons is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Research Program in Labor and Social Insurance at George Washington University's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago (1970) and has held prestigious roles including Fulbright Professor at the University of Siena (1991), Visiting Scholar at Oxford University (1993), and Visiting Professor at Copenhagen Business School (1998). His work focuses on labor economics, social insurance, and microeconomic policy analysis. He has authored over 60 publications on topics like job displacement insurance, severance pay systems, and unemployment policy design. His research often explores cross-national policy comparisons and institutional frameworks.

Notable awards include the Brain Korea 21 Distinguished Foreign Scholar designation (2001) and IZA Research Fellow status (2006). His contributions span theoretical models of labor market dynamics, historical analyses of employer-provided insurance, and critiques of public unemployment policies. Parsons has advised numerous policymakers on designing socially optimal insurance systems while addressing moral hazard challenges.