Over nearly four decades as a professional economist, William (Bill) Spriggs made significant contributions to labor economics, economic policy, and the practice of economics research and training. Bill passed away in June 2023, while actively continuing his work in all three wide-ranging domains. At the time of his death, Bill was serving on the advisory board of the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute and advising Fed leadership. He was also president-elect of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA).
To honor and celebrate Bill’s meaningful and multifaceted contributions, the Institute, LERA, and the National Economic Association (NEA) are co-organizing three sessions at the Allied Social Science Associations annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The program committee members are Abigail Wozniak, Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Robynn Cox, University of California, Riverside; Jesse Rothstein, University of California, Berkeley; and Omari Swinton, Howard University.
Luncheon Plenary: Lessons from Bill Spriggs’ Contributions to Economics and Economic Policy
Sunday, January 4, 2026 | 12:30 p.m.–2:15 p.m. ET
This session is hosted by LERA and chaired by Institute Director Abigail Wozniak. The panelists are:
- Neel Kashkari, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute
- Cecilia Conrad, Lever for Change
- William Rodgers III, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- Kasey Buckles, University of Notre Dame
Additional information is available here.
Session Honoring the Contributions of William Spriggs to Policy, Economics and the Economics Profession: Segregation, Institutions, and Unions
Saturday, January 3, 2026 | 12:30 p.m.–2:15 p.m. ET
This paper session is hosted by the NEA and chaired by former Institute visiting scholar Robynn Cox, University of California, Riverside. The agenda is available here.
Labor Markets and Education: Papers in the Bill Spriggs Research and Policy Tradition
Sunday, January 4, 2026 | 10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ET
This paper session is hosted by LERA and chaired by Institute advisor Jesse Rothstein, University of California, Berkeley. The agenda is available here.
To attend these sessions, please register for the Allied Social Science Associations annual meeting on the AEA website: https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/