Authors

Dan Silverman

Rondthaler Professor of Economics

Arizona State University

DAN SILVERMAN is the Rondthaler Professor of Economics at Arizona State University. Prof. Silverman studies public economics and has pioneered the use of financial aggregator data for economics research. Often linking these administrative data to traditional surveys, his work has contributed to how economists think about and measure the quality of decision-making, and his study of economic rationality won the Schmölders Prize in 2016. Prof. Silverman has studied several questions related to social insurance and his analysis of advantageous selection in the Medigap insurance market received the 2009 iHEA Arrow award for the best paper in health economics. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and co-editor of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Prior to becoming an economist, Prof. Silverman led outreach programs for a Community Development Credit Union serving low-income communities in Newark, NJ. Prof. Silverman received a B.A. in political science from Williams College, a M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Publications

Walking the Tightrope: Variable Income and Limited Liquidity Among the US Middle Class

In this chapter, author Dan Silverman of Arizona State University describes a body of evidence showing that large fluctuations in household income are commonplace both across and within years. However, these households’ reactions to shocks reveal substantial resilience despite their lack of a financial buffer. Silverman argues these facts imply that successful policies will focus on limiting the uninsured risks that families face.