Adam Scavette

Adam Scavette smiling at the camera

Adam Scavette

  • College of Liberal Arts

      • Adjunct Instructor

        Programs

        • Master of Public Policy Program

Curriculum Vitae  

Expertise

Urban Economics, Public Economics, Labor Economics, Housing Economics

Biography

Adam Scavette is a community development economic advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. As an applied microeconomist specializing in urban, labor, and public economics, his research has appeared in leading academic journals—including the Journal of Urban Economics—and has been covered by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal

Previously, Adam was a regional economist at the Richmond Fed, where he co-developed the SOS recession indicator. Adam has a Ph.D. in public policy from Rutgers University–New Brunswick, a master of science in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a master of science in economics from the University of Edinburgh, and a bachelor of science in economics from Villanova University.

Website

Selected Publications

  • Do Research Universities Recession Proof Their Regions? Evidence from State Flagship College Towns” (with Robert Calvert Jump), Journal of Economic Geography, 2025.
  • “A better Sahm rule? Introducing the SOS recession indicator” (with John O’Trakoun), Economics Letters, 2025.
  • “JUE Insight: The Labor Market Effects of Place-Based Policies: Evidence from England's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund” (with Robert Calvert Jump), Journal of Urban Economics, 2024.
  • “The Economic Impact of a Casino Monopoly: Evidence from Atlantic City,” Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2023. 

Courses Taught

  • ECON 5102: Economic Decisions and Public Policy