David Blanchflower

David Graham Blanchflower (born March 2, 1952) is a renowned British-American labor economist, professor of economics, editor, researcher, and prolific author of diverse academic papers and books. One of Blanchflower’s most relevant publications is the book “The Wage Curve” (1989, co-author Andrew Oswald), in which he exposes the existence of a stable negative relationship between the local unemployment rate and the wage level in over 40 countries.

The economist is also known for his extensive work on the economics of happiness. Blanchflower is a leading researcher in the study of subjective well-being (happiness) and, as such, has conducted several cross-sectional studies to assess how different factors (e.g., income, job satisfaction, sexual behavior,…) are linked to reported happiness across countries from all over the globe. Through his studies, Blanchflower has gathered empirical evidence that supports the “u-shaped curve of happiness” phenomenon, in which happiness levels decrease after early adulthood and increase after middle age, following a u-shape pattern throughout life.

Blanchflower’s work has been widely recognized and awarded. He was named “Business Person of the Year” in 2008, by the Daily Telegraph, and later awarded the CBE for services to economics in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2009. He was also the co-winner of the silver medal in economics at the Axiom Business Book Awards.