Marc Bendick Jr.

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Marc Bendick Jr. is an American economist and social scientist who studies public policy, employment discrimination, poverty, and inequality. He was born on August 20, 1946, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He went to the University of California, Berkeley, as a Regents’ Scholar and earned degrees in economics and social psychology in 1968. He then received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1975, with ties to the Institute for Research on Poverty. Earlier in his career, he worked in aerospace as an operations research analyst (1968–1970) and learned systems analysis used by the Defense Department.

Bendick worked at the Urban Institute from 1975 to 1984 and then co-founded Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants, Inc., serving as co-principal from 1984 to 2023. He has published more than 140 works that are widely cited, focusing on how empirical findings connect with economic theory, especially the idea of X-inefficiency. His research on employment discrimination has introduced quantitative tools like discrimination audits (situation testing), benchmarking, and analysis of wage gaps and workplace bias. This work has shown that bias continues in today’s workplaces and has influenced debates on affirmative action and diversity, including issues related to algorithmic hiring.

In poverty policy, Bendick emphasized using both public programs and private market solutions in a complementary way, seeking common ground between liberal and conservative ideas. He has studied lessons from other rich countries to inform U.S. policy and has helped governments and nonprofits reach agreement on policy approaches. He has served as an expert witness in many discrimination lawsuits, and his work has been cited in federal court opinions, Supreme Court material, and numerous law reviews. He has advised major employers on how to improve workplace diversity.

Bendick’s work has earned him awards from the Human Resource Planning Society, the National Tax Association, and Women in International Trade. In 2022, he received the Impact for Equality Award from the Equal Rights Center.