Chris Rank/Bloomberg

Robert J. Shiller

Economist
What he does: Arthur M. Okun Professor of Economics, Yale University
In position since: 1982
Why he is powerful: A founder of the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes with Chip Case, Shiller is a leading voice on how psychology can affect the economy. In a recent column in the New York Times about subsidizing homeownership, he writes, "If we choose to keep subsidizing individual homeownership, we must also commit to adding safeguards so that homeowners are less financially vulnerable." He argues for new kinds of housing finance institutions that enhance the qualities of life that Americans value and do not rely on efficient-market economics.

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