The appointment of Dr. Paul L. Joskow, Mitsui Professor of Economics, as head of the Department of Economics has been announced by Professor Philip S. Khoury, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science.
Professor Joskow, whose appointment was effective September 1, succeeds Professor Stanley Fischer, who has taken a leave of absence to become first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Professor Joskow had been associate department head since July 1, 1993; his successor in that position is Professor James Poterba.
In announcing the appointments, Dr. Khoury said, "Paul Joskow is one of the most highly respected members of the economics department and is one of the world's leading experts in the field of industrial organization and regulation. He also has a deep appreciation and understanding of the working of academic institutions and will provide valuable leadership in the School and in the wider Institute."
Professor Joskow received his undergraduate degree in economics from Cornell University and both his MPhil and PhD degrees in economics from Yale University in 1971 and 1972, respectively. He began his teaching career at MIT in 1972 as an assistant professor and was promoted to professor of economics in 1978. He also holds a joint appointment in the Sloan School of Management.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1991, Professor Joskow is the author of numerous publications including three books: Markets for Power: An Analysis of Electric Utility Deregulation (with Richard Schmalensee), MIT Press, 1983; Controlling Hospital Costs: The Role of Government Regulation, MIT Press, 1981, and Electric Power in the United States: Models and Policy Analysis (with Martin Baughman and Dilip Kamat), MIT Press, 1979.
A version of this article appeared in the October 26, 1994 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 39, Number 9).
