I am a macroeconomist whose primary research focus is on understanding business cycles. In particular, I have explored why fluctuations in the number employed (as opposed to fluctuations in hours per worker) is important for understanding the properties of U.S. business cycles. I have also studied the role of monetary policy for aggregate fluctuations, the distorting effects of inflation relative to other forms of taxation, and the distorting effects of unemployment insurance. More recently, I have done research demonstrating that technological advancement in production processes that are less land intensive could have led to the Industrial Revolution. I am currently working on using theoretical models to understand how consumption and labor market behavior changes over the life cycle.