John Abowd on the AKM method and the importance of a ‘non-controversial’ U.S. Census

John Abowd on the AKM method and the importance of a ‘non-controversial’ U.S. Census

Author: Industrial Relations Section, Princeton University February 15, 2026 Duration: 31:26
John Abowd, Edmund Ezra Day Professor Emeritus of Economics, Statistics, and Data Science at Cornell University, reflects on his academic career, his research on worker and firm effects on wages, employing a model that became known as the “AKM model,” and his U.S. Census Bureau tenure, focusing on 2020 Census controversies and the implications of adding a citizenship question. Read a transcript of the episode here: https://irs100.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/2026-02/048-TWGO_Abowd_transcript.pdf For more details on this episode, visit: https://irs100.princeton.edu/podcasts/john-abowd-2026

There's a living history in the stories we tell about our jobs, our wages, and the often invisible forces that shape the workplace. The Work Goes On: An Oral History of Industrial Relations and Labor Economics with Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter is a direct conversation with that history. Produced by Princeton University's Industrial Relations Section, this podcast unfolds through extended, personal interviews conducted by the pioneering economist Orley Ashenfelter. Instead of dry lectures, you'll hear the voices of the field's most influential thinkers, policymakers, and scholars as they recount their own journeys. They share the debates that defined eras, the research that changed policies, and the personal anecdotes behind the economic theories that govern how we work. Each episode is a deep, narrative dive into the human side of labor economics, capturing insights and intellectual turning points that textbooks often miss. Tuning in provides a unique, archival-quality perspective on the ideas and conflicts that built the modern labor landscape, all preserved through the intimate medium of a spoken-word podcast.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 53

The Work Goes On: An Oral History of Industrial Relations and Labor Economics with Princeton’s Orley Ashenfelter
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