John Early is an adjunct scholar at Cato Institute and president of Vital Few, LLC, a consultancy applying the methods mathematical economics and quality disciplines to solve a wide range of problems facing government and business leaders.
He is a co-author of The Myth of American Inequality with former Senator Phil Gramm and Robert Ekelund, released September 2022 by Rowman & Littlefield. The book expands on earlier research he published with Cato Institute and demonstrates that official government statistics substantially overstate income inequality and poverty. He has published more than 70 other works in a variety of forums, including Juran Institute, Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, National Bureau of Economic Research, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Brookings Institution, and American Society for Quality. Early holds a United States Patent for mathematical methods to disaggregate margins and margin rates into causes.
In addition to his research on income distribution, poverty, and economic wellbeing, Early has conducted research to optimize the design of Medicare; improve the accuracy of economic metrics; increase quality and efficiency in biomedical, high-tech, and heavy equipment industries; and reduce infection rates in East African hospitals.
Early’s experience is solidly grounded in practical experience in both the public and private sectors. Before founding Vital Few, LLC, he served as a legislative assistant for a United States Senator, twice as an assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as chief operating officer of an international consultancy, and as chief customer and strategy officer for a Fortune 100 company.
Early holds a bachelor’s degree in both economics and political science from Rice University and a master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Wisconsin.