Isabel V. “Belle” Sawhill’s research has spanned a wide array of economic and social issues, including fiscal policy, economic growth, poverty and inequality, welfare reform, the well-being of children, and changes in the family. In addition to her work at the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, she also served as associate director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton, managing the federal government’s human resource programs.
Professional positions
- 1997–present: Senior fellow (now emeritus) in economic studies, Brookings Institution
- 2007–2015: Co-director, Brookings Institution Budgeting for National Priorities Project
- 2006–2015: Co-director, Brookings Institution Center on Children and Families
- 2003–2006: Vice president and director of the economic studies program, Brookings Institution
- 1981–1990, 1991–1992, 1995–1997: Senior fellow, Urban Institute
- 1993–1995: Associate director, Office of Management and Budget (under President Bill Clinton)
- 1973–1977, 1980–1981: Senior research associate, Urban Institute
- 1970–1973: Assistant professor of economics, Goucher College
Notable publications
- Sawhill, Isabel V. 2014. Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
- Haskins, Ron, and Isabel Sawhill. 2009. Creating an Opportunity Society. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
- Rivlin, Alice M., and Isabel Sawhill, eds. 2004. Restoring Fiscal Sanity: How to Balance the Budget. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
- Sawhill, Isabel, ed. 2003. One Percent for the Kids: New Policies, Brighter Futures for America’s Children. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Degrees
- PhD, economics, New York University
- BA, New York University
