Robert Pozen

Robert Pozen (born 1946) is a law and economics scholar and practicing lawyer who has served as professor at New York University and Georgetown University, and as visiting professor at Harvard Law School. In addition, Pozen has been the head of Fidelity Investments, and on several political projects for both Democrats and Republicans, including George W. Bush's 2001 Social Security commission. He currently chairs MFS Investment Management, a fund management company.

The Bush administration has supported a version of Social Security reform Pozen proposed that is designed to win support from Congressional Democrats and to fund Social Security without cutting benefits for the poor or raising taxes. Some Democrats dispute his status as a true Democrat, pointing out that he donated $1000 to the conservative Rob Portman in 2004 and that his most recent political work has been for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, the Republican ex-Governor of Massachusetts. Ref|TNR

Pozen's plan uses what is called "progressive indexing," a combination of wage indexing and price indexing to make the private accounts more progressive, which may appeal to some that currently oppose privatization or other reforms. Bush is attempting to use the Pozen plan as "an olive branch to Democrats," according to David John, a Social Security analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation ref|Bloomberg. So far, however, the political prospects of any broad-based Social Security reform have been cool.

Pozen also writes on numerous topics unrelated to Social Security -- he wrote the first academic textbook on the mutual fund industry, for example -- and serves on the board of directors of Bell Canada Enterprises and of numerous nonprofit organizations.

Notes

*Bloomberg News. "Bush Hawks Financier Pozen's Plan as Social Security Compromise," March 23, 2005.
*Felsenthal, Mark. "Drop private accounts - US Social Security advisor." Reuters, May 19, 2005 [http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=8548688]
*Furman, Jason. "An Analysis of Using "Progressive Indexing" to Set Social Security Benefits." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, March 21, 2005. [http://www.cbpp.org/3-21-05socsec.htm]
*Lizza, Ryan. "Face Plant." "The New Republic," April 11, 2005. [http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050411&s=lizza041105]
*Think Progress. "Pozen Blasts Bush Privatization Plans." "The Progress Report." May 19, 2005 [http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=917]
* Willoughby, Jack "A Prudent Man to the Rescue" Barron's, July 18, 2005.