Alan Krueger, a groundbreaking Princeton University economist who served as a top adviser in two Democratic administrations, has died, according to a statement from the university.
Princeton did not disclose the cause of death.
Krueger, 58, was an expert on the labor market and, in particular, the impact of a minimum wage. His research concluded that a higher minimum wage did not generally slow hiring as many conservative critics have argued.
FILE- In this Aug. 29, 2011, file photo President Barack Obama shakes hands with Alan Krueger, left, as he announces him as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Princeton University Professor Krueger, a groundbreaking economist who served as a top adviser, has died according to a statement by the university. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster, File)
After serving as a Labor Department economist under President Bill Clinton, Krueger worked for President Barack Obama as a top Treasury official and then as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 to 2013.
Krueger had been teaching at Princeton since 1987. His research extended to such issues as economic inequality and the consequences of opioid addiction for the job market.
He also applied his economic work to some unconventional areas. Krueger found, for example, a surging wealth gap within pop music, illustrating in a 2005 paper how an increasing share of concert revenue was flowing to a narrow top sliver of recording artists.
FILE- In this Nov. 29, 2011, file photo Alan Krueger, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, gestures during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington. Princeton University Professor Krueger, a groundbreaking economist who served as a top adviser, has died according to a statement by the university. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster, File)
While serving under Obama, he developed and popularized the concept of the "Great Gatsby Curve." It showed that high economic inequality corresponds with low economic mobility on a generation-to-generation basis. In short, it meant that when economic disparities between the rich and everyone else are wide, people's ability to improve their financial health depends even more heavily on their parents' economic status.
The curve was named after F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic literary character Jay Gatsby, who rose from being a poor Midwestern boy to a wealthy bootlegger.
But Krueger was perhaps best-known for his research on the minimum wage with David Card. Their 1993 paper found that a rise in New Jersey's minimum wage had had no effect on employment in the state's fast food sector compared with the same sector just across the state line in Pennsylvania.
Admired in both economic and political circles, Krueger was known as an avid tennis player and for frequently taking time to discuss the nuances of public policy with reporters.
Gene Sperling, who worked with Krueger in the Obama administration as the director of the National Economic Council, tweeted that he was, "Just shocked, just stunned, so, so saddened."
"Alan has been my friend and colleague for over 20 years — and one of the very most consequential economists of our generation," Sperling said. "His pathbreaking work on minimum wage was only one of many ways he used his genius for the good of all."
BERLIN (AP) — Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. He was 90.
Von Däniken's representatives announced on his website on Sunday that he had died the previous day in a hospital in central Switzerland.
Von Däniken rose to prominence in 1968 with the publication of his first book "Chariots of the Gods," in which he claimed that the Mayans and ancient Egyptians were visited by alien astronauts and instructed in advanced technology that allowed them to build giant pyramids.
The book fueled a growing interest in unexplained phenomena at a time when thanks to conventional science man was about to take its first steps on the Moon.
"Chariots of the Gods" was followed by more than two dozen similar books, spawning a literary niche in which fact and fantasy were mixed together against all historical and scientific evidence.
Public broadcaster SRF reported that altogether almost 70 million copies of his books were sold in more than 30 languages, making him one of the most widely read Swiss authors.
While von Däniken managed to shrug off his many critics, the former hotel waiter had a troubled relationship with money throughout his life and frequently came close to financial ruin.
Born in 1935, the son of a clothing manufacturer in the northern Swiss town of Schaffhausen, von Däniken is said to have rebelled against his father's strict Catholicism and the priests who instructed him at boarding school by developing his own alternatives to the biblical account of the origins of life.
After leaving school in 1954, von Däniken worked as a waiter and barkeeper for several years, during which he was repeatedly accused of fraud and served a couple of short stints in prison.
In 1964, he was appointed manager of a hotel in the exclusive resort town of Davos and began writing his first book. Its publication and rapid commercial success were quickly followed by accusations of tax dodging and financial impropriety, for which he again spent time behind bars.
By the time he left prison, "Chariots of the Gods" was earning von Däniken a fortune and a second book "Gods from Outer Space" was ready for publication, allowing him to commit himself to his paranormal passion and travel the world in search of new mysteries to uncover.
Throughout the 1970s von Däniken undertook countless field trips to Egypt, India, and above all Latin America, whose ancient cultures held a particular fascination for the amateur archaeologist.
He lectured widely and set up societies devoted to promoting his theories, later pioneering the use of video and multimedia to reach out to ever-larger audiences hungry for a different account of history.
No amount of criticism dissuaded him and his fans from believing that Earth has been visited repeatedly by beings from Outer Space, and will be again in the future.
In 1991 von Däniken gained the damning accolade of being the first recipient of the "Ig Nobel" prize for literature — for raising the public awareness of science through questionable experiments or claims.
Even when confronted with fabricated evidence in a British television documentary — supposedly ancient pots were shown to be almost new — von Däniken insisted that, minor discrepancies aside, his theories were essentially sound.
In 1985 von Däniken wrote "Neue Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" — "New Memories of the Future" — ostensibly to address his many critics: "I have admitted (my mistakes), but not one of the foundations of my theories has yet been brought down."
Although his popularity was waning in the English-speaking world by the 1980s, von Däniken's books and films influenced a wave of semi-serious archaeological documentaries and numerous popular television shows, including "The X-Files," which featured two FBI agents tasked with solving paranormal mysteries.
His last major venture, a theme park based on his books, failed after just a few years due to lack of interest. The "Mystery Park" still stands, its man-made pyramids and otherworldly domes rotting as tourists prefer to explore the charms of the nearby town of Interlaken and the imposing Swiss Alps that surround it.
Erich von Däniken is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elisabeth Skaja, Cornelia and two grandchildren.
FILE - Erich von Daeniken, co-founder and co-owner of Mystery Park, poses in front of the Panorama Tower at Mystery Park in Interlaken, Wednesday, April 23, 2003. (Gaetan Ball)/Keystone via AP, File)
