Kaitlyn Harger

Kaitlyn Harger, Ph.D., is Senior Economist and Research Director at the Chamber of Progress, where she analyzes how technology policy and taxation affect consumers, small businesses, and state budgets. Her recent reports quantify how California’s social safety net relies on the tech sector – estimating more than $20 billion in annual revenue contributions and roughly $2.6 billion in yearly growth that supports K-12 education, health services, higher education, and human services. She has led state fiscal studies on delivery taxes, including Maryland’s proposal, highlighting cost, equity, and environmental tradeoffs. Harger’s work also examines media and marketplace policies – from projected traffic losses under “link tax” bills to competition claims in retail – alongside research on the Affordable Connectivity Program’s wind-down and its costs for low-income households.

Before joining the Chamber of Progress, Harger served as an Economist in Oregon’s Legislative Branch and previously taught as an Assistant Professor of Economics. Her academic research in applied microeconomics includes eight peer-reviewed publications, some focused on how place-based programs influence firm location. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from West Virginia University and a B.S. in Economics from Duquesne University.