Paul Romer Keywords urbanization New York University economics urban management cities economic development policy Read more about Paul Romer Paul Romer, an economist and policy entrepreneur, is a University Professor on leave from NYU. Romer was the former Director of the Marron Institute and the founding director of the Urbanization Project at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business. The Urbanization Project conducts applied research on the many ways in which policymakers in the developing world can use the rapid growth of cities to create economic opportunity and undertake systemic social reform.