Ananth Seshadri

I have spent the last 10 years working on models of demographic change, human capital acquisition and inequality. I have developed models of fertility choice that are capable of rationalizing the demographic transition as well as the baby boom and the baby bust. My training in macroeconomics makes me ideally suited to analyze the interplay between micro and macro data. I have also devoted the last 5 years to studying wealth inequality and the contribution of demographics (mortality and fertility, specified exogenously) to inequality and intergenerational mobility. One of my current research areas involves measurement of human capital – in recent work I have argued that human capital is much more important for understanding cross-country income differences than previously thought. I am well-qualified to mentor students interested in the economics of population.

CDE Research Area Affiliation:

Demography of Inequality

Selected Publication:

Fan, Xiaodong, Ananth Seshadri, and Christopher Taber. “Estimation of a Life-Cycle Model with Human Capital, Labor Supply, and Retirement.“ Journal of Political Economy 132, no. 1 (2024): 48-95.