Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance
The Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance (JRC) is a leading research center at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) of Princeton University. Founded in 2011, the JRC primarily promotes research on public policy as it relates to financial markets and macroeconomics. The center has also expanded its research and teaching to multiple disciplines, including economics, operations research, political science, history, and ethics.[1]
Type
2011
approx. 21 professors and researchers
approx. 50 graduate and undergraduate students (2018–2019)
History[edit]
Founding[edit]
In April 2011, Mitch Julis, a Princeton alum and current partner of Canyon Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles–based hedge fund, made a gift of $10 million to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. His funds were used to create a center that sought to analyze and improve the nation's financial and public policies.[2][3] Named for Julis’ parents, the Julis-Rabinowitz Center began its operations in the 2011–2012 academic year, and has since maintained close relations with the School of Public and International Affairs, the Bendheim Center for Finance, and the Princeton University Department of Economics. Christina Paxson, former dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and current president of Brown University helped to establish the organization which aimed to increase opportunities for research and teaching.[4] The center was originally located at Princeton's Frick Chemistry Laboratory. In 2017, the JRC moved to its permanent location at the Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building.[5][6]
Organizational structure[edit]
The current director of the JRC is the John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance Atif R. Mian. Professor Mian holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Much of his research focuses on finance and macroeconomy, analyzing housing trends, mortgage data, and the 2008 financial crisis. His research has been cited in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Economist.[7]
The JRC is also supported by an External Advisory Council, which includes Robert A. Johnson at the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), Philip Bennett at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Joyce Chang at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Academics[edit]
The JRC trains a cohort of undergraduate and graduate associates can conduct research with faculty and network with professionals in the financial-services industry. Past associates have been named Rhodes Scholars and Schwarzman Scholars.[28][29]
Undergraduate students at Princeton are able to apply for an Undergraduate Certificate in Finance (UCF) with a Public Policy and Finance Track. This program is co-directed by the JRC and the Bendheim Center for Finance. It requires students to take relevant courses in a number of fields, such as public finance and the history of financial crises.[30] Graduate students are able to take intensive courses sponsored by the JRC.[31] They may also take part in the Princeton Initiative: Macro, Money and Finance, a program for students looking to further develop their modeling skills and financial knowledge.[32]