For the post of the Vice-President's economic adviser - a new post created as the nation faces a recession - Joe Biden has picked Jared Bernstein, an economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute, thereby providing a strong advocate for workers in the White House. Bernstein will serve in the new position called Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser.

Bernstein, who served as deputy chief economist under Labor Secretary Robert Reich during the Clinton administration, has been an informal economic adviser to President-elect Barack Obama's campaign. His appointment contrasts sharply with the more centrist views of many of Obama's economic advisers

Bernstein holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts, master's degrees in social work and philosophy, and a doctorate in social welfare. He is a well-known skeptic on free trade and has worked for years as a senior official at EPI, a labor-funded think tank which advocates for low and middle-income workers.

On its website, the EPI writes that "The story of international trade for the American economy is not win-win, but rather good news, bad news. The good news is that some Americans will reap large rewards, and these rewards will actually be so large as to raise the average income of the entire American economy."

In a written statement, the Vice President-elect called Bernstein a "proven, passionate advocate for raising the incomes of middle class families." He added that Bernstein's expertise and background in a wide range of domestic and international economic policies would be an invaluable asset to the new administration.