Highlights of Faculty Research

Len Burman (Daniel Patrick Moynihan Professor of Public Affairs at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Professor of Practice in Economics and Public Administration and Senior Research Associate in the Center for Policy Research) came to SU this July. Prior to his arrival to the University and CPR, Len was the director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (TPC), which he co-founded in 2002. From 1998 to 2000, he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Analysis, the top public finance economist position in government. Previously, he was a senior analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Len’s research and writing have focused on short- and long-term federal budget issues, the individual alternative minimum tax, the changing role of taxation in social policy, and tax incentives for savings, retirement, and health insurance. He is the author of a book, The Labyrinth of Capital Gains Tax Policy: A Guide for the Perplexed (Brookings 1999), and co-editor of two others: Using Taxes to Reform Health Insurance: Pitfalls and Promises (with Henry Aaron, Brookings 2008) and Taxing Capital Income (with Aaron and Eugene Steuerle, Urban Institute 2007). His research has appeared in the American Economic Review and The National Tax Journal, as well as numerous TPC and CBO publications.

Len testifies frequently before congressional committees on tax and budget policy issues. He is a commentator for the public radio program, Marketplace, and writes a column for the Washington Times.

The New York Times Magazine’s 2008 “Year in Ideas” issue spotlighted the proposed Rising-Tide Tax System, a concept by Len and Yale University’s Robert Shiller to automatically adjust taxes for shifts in economic inequality. Len is vice president of the National Tax Association, on the editorial board of Public Finance Quarterly, and a member of the IMF Fiscal Analysis Division’s Panel of Experts.

Len is also an avid bicyclist. In 2005, he cycled across the United States (3,700 miles) with his son, Paul, to raise money for Partners In Health, an NGO that delivers high quality health care and much more to some of the poorest people in the world. Len and Paul raised over $100,000. Len sings baritone and enjoys both cooking and eating (he says those interests are related).

For more information about Len Burman and to view more recent work go to: http://www-cpr.maxwell.syr.edu/faculty/burman/index.htm

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