Stanford economist Goda joins California governor’s economic council

Health economist Gopi Shah Goda has taken up an appointment on the California governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.

She replaces economist Susan Athey on the panel, which advises Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s finance director on policy proposals for California’s long-term economic growth.

Goda’s research focuses on how policy can best serve aging populations, and in particular she studies the sustainability of public programs serving the elderly, and how individuals make health care, saving and retirement decisions as they age.

Between July 2021 and July 2022 she served on the Biden administration’s Council of Economic Advisers, and was also recently appointed to the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee within the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.

At Stanford, Goda is a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, an associate professor of health policy, by courtesy, and a professor of economics, by courtesy. She is also a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of the Society of Actuaries. 

The Council of Economic Advisors to the California governor was established in 2020. California’s economy is the largest of any state in the United States, reporting a gross state product of $3.89 trillion as of 2023.