Our faculty has structured the department to have strong coverage in applied microeconomics, econometrics, economic theory, finance, and macroeconomics. Within these areas, our faculty work on a wide range of topics in economics important to the country and the world. Some of our most impactful work focuses on:
- The US and global financing system
- How unemployment affects workers and the economy
- Causes and consequences of economic inequality and poverty
- Household economic choices and economic behavior
- The importance of game theory and political economy to understanding economic outcomes
By focusing on these five core areas, particularly at the graduate level, the department offers a unique, specific educational experience. Aside from traditional coursework, research, and special lectures (including the Distinguished Lectures in Economics and the Newcomb Lectures), the department holds three weekly seminars to encourage collaboration and communication within these five disciplines. The seminars attract top scholars from throughout the world to discuss their work and also provide a forum for faculty and students to present their recent research.
The department also has a set of weekly brown bag seminars where graduate students present their research to their fellow students and the faculty.
Research Highlights
unemployment and the economy
The Supplemental Expenditure Poverty Measure: A New Method for Measuring Poverty
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity
2022
economic behavior
Hybrid Decision Model and the Ranking of Experiments
Journal of Mathematical Economics
2022
economic behavior
Comparative Incompleteness: Measurement, Behavioral Manifestations and Elicitation
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
2023
U.S. and global financing system
Market Power in Neoclassical Growth Models
The Review of Economic Studies
2023
U.S. and global financing system
Threats to Central Bank Independence: High-Frequency Identification with Twitter
Journal of Monetary Economics
Forthcoming
U.S. and global financing system
Understanding U.S. Inflation During the COVID Era
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity
2022
U.S. and global financing system
Designing Securities for Scrutiny
The Review of Financial Studies
2023
U.S. and global financing system
Belief Distortions and Macroeconomic Fluctuations
American Economic Review
2022
game theory and political economy
Centralized Matching with Incomplete Information
American Economic Review: Insights
2022
unemployment and the economy
Misclassification Errors In Labor Force Statuses and the Early Identification of Economic Recessions
Journal of Asian Economics
2021
unemployment and the economy
Missing Events in Event Studies: Identifying the Effects of Partially Measured News Surprises
American Economic Review
2020
economic inequality and poverty
Genetic Endowments and Wealth Inequality
Journal of Political Economy
2020
U.S. and global financing system
Macroprudential Regulation Versus Mopping Up After the Crash
The Review of Economic Studies
2020
game theory and political economy
A Mechanisms for Eliciting Second-Order Beliefs and the Inclination to Choose
American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
2018
U.S. and global financing system
The Fed and Lehman Brothers: Setting the Record Straight on a Financial Disaster (book)
2018
U.S. and global financing system
Expected Inflation and Other Determinants of Treasury Yields
The Journal of Finance
2018
economic behavior
The Distribution of Wealth and the Marginal Propensity to Consume
Quantitative Economics
2017
economic inequality and poverty
The Economics of Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, Vol. 1 (book)
2016
economic inequality and poverty
Isolated Capital Cities, Accountability, and Corruption: Evidence from U.S. States
American Economic Review
2014
game theory and political economy
Mandatory vs. Discretionary Spending: The Status Quo Effect
American Economic Review
2014