Jake Rosenfeld

Jake Rosenfeld is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, and a Resident Fellow at the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy. His research focuses on economic inequality, labor market dynamics, and the political determinants of wages in the U.S. and advanced democracies. Rosenfeld holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

He authored two influential books: *What Unions No Longer Do* (2014), which examines the decline of labor unions and its societal impacts, and *You're Paid What You’re Worth and Other Myths of the Modern Economy* (2021), analyzing power dynamics and fairness in wage-setting. His work has been featured in *The New Yorker*, *Harvard Business Review*, and *The Wall Street Journal*.

Rosenfeld’s recent research includes a 2023 article in *Social Forces* (co-authored with Patrick Denice and Shengwei Sun) on workplace communication about pay. He frequently engages with public discourse through podcasts and media interviews, including a 2025 appearance on *The Inequality Podcast* and a 2024 *New York Times* interview.

As Department Chair, Rosenfeld oversees academic and administrative operations in the Sociology Department. His work intersects with interdisciplinary efforts at the Weidenbaum Center, focusing on economic policy and public governance.