John B. Taylor

George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics
Awards and Honors:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Econometric Society (elected fellow)
Economics Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award
(2015)
Biography: 

John B. Taylor is the George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and the Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics at Stanford University. He chairs the Hoover Working Group on Economic Policy and is director of Stanford’s Introductory Economics Center.

Taylor's fields of expertise are monetary policy, fiscal policy, and international economics. His book Getting Off Track was one of the first on the financial crisis; his latest book, First Principles, for which he received the 2012 Hayek Prize, develops an economic plan to restore America’s prosperity.

Taylor served as senior economist on President Ford's and President Carter’s Council of Economic Advisers, as a member of President George H. W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, and as a senior economic adviser to Bob Dole’s presidential campaign, to George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 2000, and to John McCain’s presidential campaign. He was a member of the Congressional Budget Office's Panel of Economic Advisers from 1995 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005, Taylor served as undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs where he was responsible for currency markets, international development, for oversight of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and for coordinating policy with the G-7 and G-20.

Taylor received the Bradley Prize from the Bradley Foundation and the Adam Smith Award as well as the Adolph G. Abramson Award from the National Association for Business Economics. He was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Award for his overall leadership at the US Treasury, the Treasury Distinguished Service Award for designing and implementing the currency reforms in Iraq, and the Medal of the Republic of Uruguay for his work in resolving the 2002 financial crisis. At Stanford he was awarded the George P. Shultz Distinguished Public Service Award, as well as the Hoagland Prize and the Rhodes Prize for excellence in undergraduate teaching. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society; he formerly served as vice president of the American Economic Association.

Taylor formerly held positions as professor of economics at Princeton University and Columbia University. Taylor received a BA in economics summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1968 and a PhD in economics from Stanford University in 1973.

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In the News

John Taylor Testified Before the House Committee on Financial Services (00:55:45)

by John B. Taylorvia U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
Friday, July 11, 2014

Senior Fellow John B. Taylor testified before the House Financial Services Committee on monetary policy legislation.

An Economic Trailblazer

by John B. Taylorvia Hoover Digest
Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The late Hoover fellow Gary Becker followed the data to “amazing ideas and predictions.”

Economics Abstract
Analysis and Commentary

New Legislation Requires Fed to Adopt Policy Rule

by John B. Taylorvia Economics One
Monday, July 7, 2014

A lot of research and experience shows that more predictable rules-based monetary policy leads to better economic performance—both in terms of price stability and steadier-stronger employment and output growth.  But in practice there have been big swings in Fed policy between rules and discretion, with damaging results as in the 1970s and the past decade of a financial crisis, great recession and slow recovery.  

Federal Reserve
Analysis and Commentary

The Fed Needs to Return to Monetary Rules

by John B. Taylorvia Wall Street Journal
Thursday, June 26, 2014

As the Federal Reserve's large-scale bond purchases wind down, financial markets and policy makers now are focused on when the Fed will move to increase interest rates.

an image
Analysis and Commentary

Stanford’s Economics 1 Now Coming Online

by John B. Taylorvia Economics One
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

I have been teaching economics at Stanford for many years. Economics 1 is one of my favorite courses, and it’s been one of the most popular courses at Stanford.

Smartphone Image
Analysis and Commentary

Ten Amusingly Irreverent Tweets at Conference on Fed

by John B. Taylorvia Economics One
Tuesday, June 3, 2014

So many members of the financial press were having a good time tweeting at the Fed Centennial conference last week at Stanford that, according the “TweetReach Report,” about 1 million Twitter accounts were reached and 10 million tweets were delivered about the hashtag #hooverfedconference.  Here is a photo of the post-conference press conference.

Federal Reserve
Analysis and Commentary

New Conference on Fed and Rules-Based Policy: A Preview

by John B. Taylorvia Economics One
Thursday, May 29, 2014

Today starts a two day conference at Stanford’s Hoover Institution on monetary policy. It’s part of the Fed Centennial. Here is the full agenda which includes talks and commentary by Esther George, Tom Sargent, Charles Plosser,  John Williams, Jeff Lacker, Ed Prescott, Allan Meltzer, Niall Ferguson, Maury Obstfeld, Barry Eichengreen, George Shultz, Monika Piazzesi,  Athanasios Orphanides, Otmar Issing, Martin Schneider and others.

Federal Reserve

Taylor on Reuters Insider: “it’s never easy to go back after you get used to the intervention”

by John B. Taylorvia Reuters
Thursday, May 1, 2014

Hoover senior fellow John Taylor discusses the Fed on Reuters Insider. Topics include renormalizing rates, the causes of the financial crisis, and undoing the Fed’s intervention.

Federal Reserve

Taylor on Santelli Exchange: “I don’t think it’s been successful, I don’t think it’s worked”

by John B. Taylorvia CNBC
Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Hoover senior fellow John Taylor discusses the Fed and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on CNBC’s Santelli Exchange. Topics include quantitative easing, the Taylor rule, and the IMF plan for Ukraine.

Economics Concept
Analysis and Commentary

Deleting Vice and Other Revisions in Monetary Lectures

by John B. Taylorvia Economics One
Thursday, April 24, 2014

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