His work focuses on the connections between finance and the macro economy.[4] He is the first person of Pakistani origin to rank among the top 25 young economists of the world.[5] In 2014, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified Atif as one of twenty-five young economists who it expects will shape the world's thinking about the global economy in the future.[5]
In September 2018, Pakistani Prime MinisterImran Khan appointed Mian, an Ahmadi Muslim, to serve on the Economic Advisory Council to provide assistance on issues of economics and finance.[8] His appointment was criticized by groups opposed to government representation for religious minorities, and Mian was asked to resign a week after his appointment.[9][10][11] As a result, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Imran Rasul resigned from the council in protest.[12][13][14] Mian's removal from the EAC received worldwide condemnation, including an open letter by leading economists including many Nobel laureates.[15][16] International media outlets such as The Economist and Financial Times also criticised the move.[17][18]
Writing
Atif is the author of the critically acclaimed book House of Debt (with Amir Sufi, University of Chicago Press, 2014).[19][20][21] The book argues that debt caused the Great Recession—rather than failing banks, as the Bush and Obama administrations had diagnosed. His book was shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year, and it won the Gordon J. Laing Prize of the University of Chicago Press.[4]
Personal life
Around 1999, Atif Mian married his wife Ayesha, who he knew since childhood. They have three children, two daughters and a son.[6][22]
