James E. Anderson serves as the William B. Neenan, S.J. Millennium Professor in the Department of Economics at Boston College. His research centers on international trade theory, with particular expertise in gravity models, trade policy analysis, and economic history. Anderson maintains an active research program with recent publications addressing contemporary trade challenges including the China shock and zero trade flows. His research interests focus on International Economics and Economic History , specializing in gravity model applications, trade policy diagnostics, and the interplay between institutions and trade patterns. Anderson's work bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical trade analysis, often developing novel methodologies for measuring trade restrictiveness and policy impacts. His influential 2003 paper "Gravity with Gravitas: A Solution to the Border Puzzle" (co-authored with Eric van Wincoop) revolutionized trade cost measurement. Anderson's publication trends reveal sustained contributions to trade theory since the 1990s, with recent work emphasizing non-parametric gravity approaches, export diversification dynamics, and institutional impacts on North-South trade. His research consistently addresses methodological challenges in trade modeling while providing policy-relevant insights for trade liberalization and agreement design. William B. Neenan, S.J. Millennium Professor (endowed chair) Anderson maintains an extensive research portfolio with over 30 working papers through Boston College's Economics Department. His work includes significant contributions to trade policy aggregation methods, tariff reform diagnostics, and the development of computable general equilibrium models for trade analysis. Anderson actively collaborates with leading economists including Yoto V. Yotov, J. Peter Neary, and Eric van Wincoop, and disseminates his research through RePEc, Google Scholar, and his personal website.












