Christy Romer Steps Down

CEA Chair Christy Romer is leaving the White House.

From my own experience in that job, I know she must be experiencing mixed emotions.  On the one hand,  it is an exhilarating experience to be a member of a White House team, a part of history, and the leader of a staff of smart, hard-working economists at the CEA.  On the other hand, in jobs like this, one loses a great deal of autonomy.  People who choose academia as a career often do so because they enjoy the personal and intellectual freedom it offers.  Having spent two years without it, I appreciate that freedom all the more.  I bet Christy will feel the same, after she recovers from Beltway decompression.