Michael L. Bognanno is a Professor of Economics at Temple University. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1990 and has held various posts since joining Temple University in the same year. Most prominently, he served as Director of Economics and Business at Temple University Japan, where he initiated the Executive MBA Program in Tokyo and other new programs. Prior to joining Temple University, he worked as a compensation consultant for DCA Stanton, Industrial Relations Specialist for the U.S. Department of Labor, and Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in June 2004.

His research interests are in the area of personnel economics, more specifically they concern executive pay, promotion and incentives. He has published in the Journal of Labor Economics, the Industrial and Labor Relations Review, the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, Management Science and the Journal of Political Economy.