Henry Downes

PhD Candidate

The University of Notre Dame

I am a PhD candidate and applied microeconomist in the Economics Department at the University of Notre Dame. I am interested in labor economics, public economics, and economic demography, with applications in both historical and contemporary settings.

I am on the job market during the 2024-2025 academic year. My Job Market Paper explores how the rise of organized labor shaped economic and demographic outcomes during the American Baby Boom.

I have worked as a Research Associate at the Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economics Opportunities, and in 2023-2024 I was a Graduate Fellow of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. My work has been supported by the Economic History Association and the Smith Richardson Foundation.

Education

• PhD, Economics (expected 2025)
  University of Notre Dame

• MA, Economics (2020)
  University of Notre Dame

• BA, Economics, Political Science, and History (2015)
  The University of Alabama