John Hassler is Professor of Economics at the Institute for International Economic Studies at Stockholm University. He is serving as a member of the Prize Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Swedish Fiscal Policy Council, in charge of evaluating the government’s economic policy. He worked as advisor to the Swedish Ministry of Finance during the recent financial crisis when he was also a member of the European Economic Advisory Group. He is currently a member of the Bellagio group of academics and central bankers. Professor Hassler obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from MIT. He has been teaching subsequently at the Stockholm University. His research has covered areas of dynamic public finance, social mobility, growth and climate change.