James Sullivan is a Professor of Economics and Gilbert F. Schaefer College Chair at the University of Notre Dame.
Professor Sullivan was recently appointed to the U.S. Commission on Social Impact Partnerships and serves on the National Poverty Center Advisory Board. His research examines the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs at the national, state, and local level. He also studies the consumption, saving, and borrowing behavior of poor households, as well as poverty and inequality measurement. Sullivan has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, many of which appear in the top economics journals. Sullivan currently serves as Director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), a research center he co-founded in 2012 that works with service providers and policymakers to identify evidence-based solutions to poverty in America. LEO evaluates program effectiveness using randomized controlled trial experiments and quasi-experimental methods, often relying on administrative data.