Martin Lavelle
Principal Business Economist
About
Martin Lavelle is a principal business economist in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Detroit Branch. Mr. Lavelle's job responsibilities include economic research, education, and outreach. His research revolves around the Michigan economy and its impact on the Seventh District and national economies, respectively. Specific topics include, but aren’t limited to, construction & real estate, the auto industry, consumer spending, rural economic development, and the City of Detroit. Mr. Lavelle is heavily involved in the formulation of the Chicago Fed’s Beige Book submission by moderating roundtables of key business contacts and regional stakeholders across Michigan and Indiana. Mr. Lavelle has contributed numerous Fed Letters and articles for the Michigan and Midwest blogs, respectively. Mr. Lavelle served on the Detroit Post-Bankruptcy Working Group and is currently a member of Leadership Detroit, a program that creates awareness of issues that affect the Detroit Region and brings positive change to the Detroit area. In addition, he speaks to economics classes at area colleges and high schools. In 2012, he began a series of evening workshops for teachers and educators entitled “Night at the Fed” in which attendees learned more about economic entities and concepts that can be incorporated into classrooms and seminars. In addition to his Federal Reserve work, Mr. Lavelle has taught managerial economics at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and volunteered with Junior Achievement, teaching high school students about entrepreneurship. Mr. Lavelle received his B.S. in Business and M.A. in Economics from Miami University in Oxford, OH.
Bank Publications
CDPS Blog
Chicago Fed Insights
Chicago Fed Letter
Michigan Economy Blog
Midwest Economy Blog
Selected External Publications
2022, “Introduction to the Special Issue on Rural Economic Development: New Research Insights and how the COVID-19 Pandemic may Impact Future Investment Strategies”, Sage Journals, Vol. 36, No. 3
2019, "The Grand Bargain": Detroit's Financial Fall to Bankruptcy and Rise to New Possibilities”, The Economic & Business History Society, Vol. 38
Presentations and Other Resources
Chicago Fed Blogs
Contributing author:
Michigan Economy Blog
Midwest Economy Blog
Events
Creating Conversations on the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Economic Development
