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Susan Helper

Frank Tracy Carlton Professorship in Economics
Weatherhead School of Management
Professor
Department of Economics
Weatherhead School of Management
Co-Chair
National Academy of Sciences
Co-Director
CIFAR
Non-resident Senior Fellow
Brookings
Member
Bureau of Labor Statistics Technical Advisory Committee

Susan Helper is the Carlton Professor of Economics at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She served on the White House staff in both the Obama and Biden Administrations, and as Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Commerce (in the Obama Administration). Her research focuses on the impacts of organization and supply chain structure on innovation, job quality, and sustainability. She is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. She has a BA from Oberlin College and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Education

PhD
Harvard University
1987
Bachelor of Arts
Oberlin College
1979

Teaching Information

Office Hours

By Appointment Only

Awards and Honors

  • Becker Friedman Fellow
    2018
    University of Chicago
  • Women of Achievement Award
    2009
    Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, CWRU

Professional Memberships

Member, Bureau of Labor Statistics Technical Advisory Committee

External Appointments

Program Organizer, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 2019 - 2024

Non-resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, 2016 - Present

Chief Economist, US Department of Commerce, 2013 - 2015

Senior Economist, White House Council of Economic Advisers, 2012 - 2013

Committee Member, National Academy of Sciences Panel on Manufacturing, Washington DC, 2011 - 2012

Editorial Review Board Member, Strategic Management Journal, 2008 - Present

Publications

  • Helper, S. (2018).
    Preparing US Workers and Employers for an Autonomous Vehicle Future  
  • Helper, S. ,
    “Management Practices, Relational Contracts, and the Fall of General Motors”   
  • Helper, S.
    Why Manufacturing? Which Manufacturing?    Brookings
  • Helper, S.
    Strategies for Job Creation and Retention in Manufacturing   
  • Helper, S.
    Management Innovation in the Supply Chain: Appreciating Chandler in the 21st Century  Industrial and Corporate Change
  • Helper, S. , Gray, J. , Osborne, B. (2020).
    Value first, cost later: Total Value Contribution (TVC) as a new roadmap for sourcing decisions  Journal of Operations Management
  • Clingingsmith, D. , Helper, S. , Shane, S. A. (2020).
    Principles for Economic Policy in the COVID-19 Recession    Economic Policy Ideas for COVID-19
  • Clingingsmith, D. , Helper, S. , Shane, S. A. (2020).
    Washington Must Add Medical Capacity    Economic Policy Ideas for COVID-19
  • Helper, S. , Sako, M. (2010).
    Management Innovation in the Supply Chain: Appreciating Chandler in the 21st Century    Industrial and Corporate Change: Industrial and Corporate Change
  • Helper, S. (2010).
    Strengthening American Manufacturing: A New Federal Approach (pp. 15)  Washington, DC: Brookings
  • Helper, S. , (2009).
    International Differences in Lean Production, Productivity and Employee Attitudes   National Bureau of Economic Research
  • Helper, S. , (2009).
    Can Price Hikes Save GM    The Daily Beast
  • Helper, S. (2009).
    Should We Still Make Things?    Dissent
  • Helper, S. , MacDuffie, J. P. (2008).
    Better than a Bailout    The New Republic
  • Helper, S. (2008).
    Renewing US Manufacturing: A High-Road Strategy   Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute

Presentations

  • Helper, S.  American Economic Association Meetings, "Value Migration and Industry 4.0: Theory, Field Evidence, and Propositions", American Economic Association, Philadelphia. (2018).
  • Helper, S.  Agenda for Shared Prosperity, "Renewing US Manufacturing: A High-Road Strategy", Economic Policy Institute, Washington, DC. (2008).