Linda Bilmes
Linda J. Bilmes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 New York, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Public policy specialist, professor |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Fiscal consequences of the Iraq War, public finance education |
| Notable work | The Three Trillion Dollar War (co-author) |
Linda J. Bilmes (born 1960) is a distinguished American specialist in public policy, holding the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer Chair in Public Policy and Public Finance at Harvard University. At the Harvard Kennedy School, she instructs courses on public policy, budgeting, and public finance. Between 1999 and 2001, Bilmes served as Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer at the US Department of Commerce during President Bill Clinton's administration.
Bilmes is notably acknowledged for her work on the fiscal consequences of the Iraq War and the enduring expenses related to healthcare for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded the 2008 “Speaking Truth to Power” Award by the American Friends Service Committee. In 2017, she was appointed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to serve a four-year term on the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration and was subsequently reappointed for an additional term extending through 2025. She actively participates in the Watson Institute's Costs of War Project and has provided testimony before the US Congress regarding war expenditures and veterans’ healthcare. Bilmes co-authored a centennial valuation study estimating the US National Parks System’s worth at $92 billion and authored a publication on its economic importance.
As a faculty affiliate, Bilmes is engaged with the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. She established and directs Harvard’s Rappaport Greater Boston Applied Field Lab, where students tackle practical budgeting issues faced by local governments. Additionally, Bilmes conducts budgeting seminars aimed at newly elected mayors and congressional members through the Harvard Institute of Politics. At Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, she serves as a visiting fellow at Brasenose College, engaging in both teaching and research activities. Her professional affiliations include membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, fellowship at the National Academy of Public Administration, vice chairmanship of Economists for Peace and Security, and board membership at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
Early life and education
Born in New York and raised in San Mateo, California, Bilmes is the daughter of Lila Yolanda Lynn and Murray Bilmes, with Myron Nye Humphrey as her adoptive stepfather. Her given name "Jan" honors her godmother, singer Jan DeGaetani. She attended public schools such as Aragon High School and gained early political experience interning under Governor Jerry Brown during his initial term leading California. Bilmes completed an AB degree in government at Harvard University, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School, and earned a PhD from the University of Oxford, where her dissertation examined financing strategies related to the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
Following business school, she worked as a pollster and political consultant at Campaign Strategies Inc., then transitioned to management consulting with Bain & Company until 1986. From 1987 to 1996, Bilmes was with The Boston Consulting Group across London, Madrid, and Moscow offices; she contributed to developing the UK healthcare practice, established the Madrid branch, and provided advisory services to the Russian Ministry of Privatization on healthcare financing legislation as well as broader public financial restructuring throughout Europe.
Government career
During the Clinton administration, Bilmes occupied prominent positions within the US government, including Assistant Secretary for Administration, Management and Budget as well as Chief Financial Officer at the United States Department of Commerce. Twice confirmed by the Senate, she held the titles of Assistant Secretary for Administration and Budget and CFO from 1998 until 2001, having previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration between 1997 and 1998. She was also selected to participate in advisory panels, such as a Treasury Department commission evaluating the sustainability of the Inter-American Investment Corporation. Between 2009 and 2011, she contributed to the bipartisan National Parks Second Century Commission. Under the Obama administration from 2011 to 2017, Bilmes provided counsel to both the U.S. Department of Interior National Parks System Advisory Board and the Advisory Board on Veterans Employment and Training at the US Department of Labor.
Books and publications
Bilmes has penned numerous significant books and scholarly articles. Together with Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, she co-authored the internationally acclaimed bestseller The Three Trillion Dollar War, which appeared on The New York Times list. She also collaborated with W. Scott Gould on The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service and partnered with Peter Strueven and Konrad Wetzker to write Gebt uns das Risiko zurück. Additionally, Bilmes worked alongside John Loomis on Valuing U.S. Parks and Programs: America’s Best Investment.
Articles
- Bilmes, Linda J., Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan: the long-term costs of providing veterans medical care and disability benefits, HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series, January 2007.
- Bilmes, Linda J., and Joseph E. Stiglitz, Report: the $10 trillion hangover: paying the price for eight years of Bush, Harper's Magazine, vol. 318, no. 1904, January 2009.
- Bilmes, Linda J., The financial legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan: how wartime spending decisions will constrain future national security budgets, HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series, March 2013.
- Bilmes, Linda, and Michael D. Intriligator, How many wars is the US fighting today?, Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, vol. 19, no. 1, May 2013.
Personal life
Bilmes is married to Jonathan Hakim, a citizen of the United Kingdom, and together they have three sons.
External links
- Bilmes, Linda "Soldiers Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan: The Long-term Costs of Providing Veterans Medical Care and Disability Benefits" 2007
- List of publications
- Book chapter by Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz in Lessons from Iraq: Avoiding the Next War ed. by Miriam Pemberton and William Hartung
- Book chapter by Linda Bilmes and Jeffrey Neal in "For the People" ed. by John Donahue and Joseph Nye
- Linda. Book chapter "Scoring Goals for People and Company" in Mastering People Management Ed. James Pickford
- Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes “Estimating the costs of war: Methodological issues, with applications to Iraq and Afghanistan” in the Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Peace and Conflict
- "The long-term costs of conflict: the case of the Iraq War" in Handbook On the Economics of Conflict
- Bilmes, Linda and Joseph Stiglitz. "The $10 Trillion Hangover: Paying the Price for Eight Years of Bush." Harper's, January 2009.
- The 3 Trillion Dollar War.
- The Economic Cost of Iraq War." Milken Institute, 4th Qtr, October 2006.
- Bilmes, Linda and W. Scott Gould. "New Book Looks at What College Students are Thinking about Government Jobs." Federal Manager Magazine, April 2006.