Krueger developed and applied the method of natural experiments to study the effect of education on earnings, the minimum wage on employment, and other issues. Krueger compared restaurant jobs in New Jersey, which raised its minimum wage, to restaurant jobs in Pennsylvania, which did not, and found that restaurant employment in New Jersey increased, while it decreased in Pennsylvania. The results reinvigorated the academic debate on the employment effects of minimum wages and spawned a large literature. His books, Education Matters: Selected Essays by Alan B. Krueger and Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? reviewed the available research relating to positive externalities accruing to society from increased government investment in educating the children of the poor. In Inequality in America, he writes: In his book, What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism, he wrote that in contrast to the assumption that terrorists come from impoverished, uneducated environments, terrorists often come from middle-class, college-educated backgrounds. In 1994–95, he served as Chief Economist at the United States Department of Labor. He received the Kershaw Prize, Mahalanobis Prize, and IZA Prize, and was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Society of Labor Economists, Econometric Society and American Academy of Political and Social Science. He was a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee of CERGE-EI, an academic institution located in Prague, Czech Republic. On March 7, 2009, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy. In October 2010, he announced his resignation from the Treasury Department, to return to Princeton University. On August 29, 2011, he was nominated by Obama to be chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and on November 3, 2011, the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination. He also published several books on issues related to education, labor markets and income distribution. He was also known for his work on the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Between 2000 and 2006 he wrote for The New York Times Economic Scene column. Krueger signed a 2018 amici curiae brief that expressed support for Harvard University in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard lawsuit.
Personal life
Krueger was married to Lisa Simon and had two children. His interests included rock music and tennis.
Death and legacy
Krueger was found dead at his home in Princeton on March 16, 2019. His family stated the cause of death was suicide. In a statement, former President Obama declared: "Alan was someone who was deeper than numbers on a screen and charts on a page," adding, "He saw economic policy not as a matter of abstract theories, but as a way to make people’s lives better." His death was commemorated by The Economist with a full-page obituary running in their Free Exchange column.
