Frank Stafford

Professor Frank Stafford is a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He holds dual research professor positions at the Institute for Social Research in both the Survey Research Center and Population Studies Center.

His research spans several critical areas in economics with particular focus on Labor Economics and Financial Economics. Professor Stafford's work examines time allocation patterns, childcare economics, cross-national IT studies, and family financial decisions related to wealth, pensions, and savings in connection with health outcomes. His recent collaborative work with Bing Chen investigated how housing consumption commitments like mortgages influence household stock market participation.

Professor Stafford serves as Principal Investigator of the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and has made significant contributions to the design and analysis of panel household data. His research has practical implications for understanding economic behavior during financial crises, as demonstrated in his 2016 study examining how households met mortgage commitments by selling stocks during the 2007-2009 financial crisis period.

• Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists

As an active researcher and mentor, Professor Stafford continues to advance understanding in life cycle human capital development and financial behavior. His office is located in M108 Lorch Hall at the University of Michigan.