Robert Barro

Ricardian equivalence; growth empirics.

Robert Barro is a professor of economics at Harvard University and one of the most-cited economists in the world. He formalised the Ricardian equivalence theorem—arguing that deficit-financed tax cuts leave aggregate demand unchanged—and built the empirical framework for cross-country growth regressions that shaped modern development economics. His later work extended to political economy, rare economic disasters, and the macroeconomics of religion.