Eric A. Hanushek

Economic Analysis and Student Performance

Eric A. Hanushek is an advocate of using economic analysis to in order to improve student performance. He has authored numerous, highly cited articles on the effects of class size reduction, high-stakes accountability, teacher effectiveness and other education related topics. In a 1971 paper, he introduced the concept of evaluating teacher effectiveness on the basis of student learning gains. This idea is the basis of value-added assessments of teacher quality. In his most recent book, The Knowledge Capital of Nations, Mr Hanushek and co-author Ludger Woessmann conclude that the quality of education is causally related to economic growth.

Mr Hanushek will be visiting CESifo from 13 to 19 November. No stranger to CESifo, he is both Research Professor at the Ifo Center for the Economics of Education as well as Director for the Economics of Education Area of the CESifo Research Network. He has also served on Ifo’s Scientific Advisory Council. His frequent visits to CESifo are aimed at increasing the interaction among researchers in the economics of education on both sides of the Atlantic. Mr Hanushek is a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal and also appears frequently in court cases as a paid expert witness testifying for the state in lawsuits brought by plaintiffs attempting to equalise disparities in funding of school districts.

Eric Hanushek is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He received his PhD in economics from MIT and is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.