“Public Sector Personnel Economics” with John M. de Figueiredo

Join us for three stand-alone, interrelated lunch seminars taught by John M. de Figueiredo on personnel economics of the public sector. We will discuss how politics, expertise, race, and gender affect the careers of U.S. Federal Government civil servants and, in a group discussion, what this might mean for the quality of civil servants and the U.S. policies they generate.

John M. de Figueiredo is the Russell M. Robinson II Professor of Law, Strategy, and Economics at the Duke Law School and the Fuqua School of Business. He is also Director of the Duke Center for Institutional and Organizational Performance, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. de Figueiredo studies competitive strategy, innovation strategy, political and legal strategy, and law and economics. His research in law and economics and "non-market" strategy explores how firms use political influence, regulatory lobbying, and strategic litigation to enhance competitive performance. He has recently completed a study of careers in the U.S. federal civil service covering 6 million employees over a 24 year time period. Prior to joining Duke University, he was on the faculties of the UCLA Anderson School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School. He has also held long-term visiting positions at Princeton University, Harvard Law School, INSEAD, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, and, most recently, at Stanford Business School. de Figueiredo holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; an M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics; and an A.B. in Economics from Harvard University.

Tuesday, May 7: 12-1pm
Elections, Ideology, and Turnover in the U.S. Federal Government

A defining feature of public sector employment is the regular change in elected leadership. Yet, we know little about how elections influence civil servant careers. In this session we describe how elections can alter policy outputs and disrupt civil servants’ influence over agency decisions, potentially shaping their career choices.
Watch video

Wednesday, May 8, 12-1pm
Grade Inflation: The Changing Composition of Expertise in the Federal Government

Wages in the federal government have risen substantially over a quarter century. This session studies the source of these changes and examines the role of human capital and expertise in driving these wage changes.
Watch video

Thursday, May 9, 12-1pm
Are There Race and Gender Wage Gaps in the Government?

The race and gender wage gap has been thoroughly documented in the private sector. In this session we will examine the presence and sources of wage gaps in the federal government.
Watch video

All seminars take place from 12 to 1 p.m. in Harper Center, Room C05 (5807 S Woodlawn Ave)