1 month ago
103
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has cut ties with former Treasury Secretary and Harvard professor Larry Summers amid the ongoing fallout over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The Journal cited an email from the organization’s president, James Poterba, that stated Summers was “no longer an NBER affiliate.”
The organization reportedly told the outlet that an ad hoc committee recommended his appointment as a research associate be terminated after reviewing his conduct.
Founded in 1920, the NBER is widely considered the world’s leading economic research institution. Its network of more than 1,800 academic economists includes 50 Nobel Prize winners and 13 individuals who have chaired the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
A page on the NBER website highlighting Summers’s research papers was still active as of Tuesday afternoon; however, his name no longer appears in the list of affiliated scholars.
The organization is the latest to distance itself from Summers after documents revealed he maintained a relationship with Epstein even after he pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution and related charges in 2008.
Summers received a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association in December, roughly two weeks after he stepped back from teaching at Harvard as the university investigated his conduct.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation in a statement at the time.
The former secretary’s ties with Harvard were officially severed last month, when he resigned as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
A university spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill that Summers would remain on leave until his retirement takes effect at the end of the academic year.
English (US) ·