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This year Orientation Week for 91 incoming Duke Economics master’s students started off with a bang — or, more accurately, a rare astronomical event. On Monday a near-total eclipse of the sun was visible in Durham, with the maximum eclipse taking place shortly after scheduled breakaway group advising sessions. “We plan the department's Orientation Week several months in advance, and it always falls between orientation week for international students and the first week of classes,” said M.A. Program Assistant Addie Stagg. “… read more about Orientation Week Begins for New Master's Students »

Corporate tax reform discussions tend to focus on the statutory rate, but lawmakers would be better off addressing the credits and other loopholes that leave governments with dwindling revenues, according to a new working paper co-authored by Professor Juan Carlos Suárez Serrato. read more about How Changing Corporate Tax Rates Affects the Economy, Government Revenue »

There is no surer sign that summer is winding down than the arrival of new students. For faculty and staff here in the Department of Economics, this coincides with the Ph.D. student orientation. This morning Director of Graduate Studies Curtis Taylor welcomed a dozen Ph.D. students on behalf of the department. Selected from a pool of 738 applicants, the cohort comprises five women and seven men who collectively hail from six countries: Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.  Though… read more about Department Welcomes 12 New Ph.D. Students »

Improved cook stoves lower emissions, cut firewood use, and reduce forest degradation, but the uptake of such stoves has been slow. Professor Subhrendu Pattanayak and Research Associate Lauren Masatsugu examine carbon financing as a way to increase sales. read more about New Finance for Old (Technology) Problems? Saving the Planet With Better Cook Stoves »

In just 25 years, alumnus John B. Guerard (B.A. '75) already has had a storied career as an academic, author, and financial economist. "John is one of our eminent Duke undergraduate alumni. He’s become highly respected in his profession and has published in top journals," said Professor Edward Tower. Within the world of finance, he has worked with such firms as Drexel Burnham Lambert, the DAIS Group at Drexel, Daiwa Securities Trust Company, and Vantage Global Advisors. While at Daiwa, Guerard co-managed a… read more about Alumni Spotlight: John B. Guerard (B.A. '75) »

Last month the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put forward a notice of proposed rulemaking to scale back on net neutrality regulations and recently reopened a docket for public comments. Under the 2015 net neutrality rules, internet service providers were reclassified under Title II as common carriers and prohibited from slowing, blocking, or prioritizing web traffic. Professor Michelle Connolly, former FCC chief economist from 2006 to 2007 and 2008 to 2009, addressed the FCC’s latest actions during her closing… read more about Professor Michelle Connolly Comments on FCC Plan to Reverse Title II Net Neutrality »

Professor William “Sandy” Darity, Jr., founding director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, was honored for his research related to racial inequality and the racial wealth gap in the United States at the 2017 Future of Wealth Summit: Technology, Inclusion and Social Change.  read more about William "Sandy" Darity, Jr. Honored With Prestigious Award at 2017 Future of Wealth Summit »

As part of Graduate Education Day, alumnus Hoël Wiesner (MEM '17, B.S. '15) shared research on energy resource assessment that he and a team of students, including Samit Sura (MAE '17), developed for the Energy Data Analytics Lab. read more about Duke Student Shares Energy Data Analytics Lab Research With North Carolina Legislators »

For the last four years, Andrew Greenfield has led a double life.  By all accounts, he was a typical, high-achieving Blue Devil. Greenfield juggled the heavy course load that comes with being an economics major and computer science minor, while successfully navigating the academic and extracurricular rigmarole his junior and senior years to secure a job on Wall Street. But Greenfield wasn’t just any Blue Devil; he was the Blue Devil.  As the Blue Devil mascot, his was the most recognizable face at Duke… read more about The Blue Devil Unmasked: A Q&A With Andrew Greenfield (B.S. ’17) »

The Department of Economics recognized graduates of the class of 2017 at the its annual Graduation Recognition Ceremony in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday, May 14. This year members of the faculty presented diplomas to 16 Ph.D. graduates, 83 M.A. Economics graduates, nine M.S. Statistical and Economic Modeling graduates, six M.S. Economics and Computation graduates, and 230 graduates with an economics major. Speaking on behalf of the department, Professor James Roberts stressed the importance of staying… read more about Duke Economics Celebrates the Class of 2017 »

The History of Economics Society (HES) has named its Best Article Prize the "Craufurd Goodwin Best Article Prize" in honor of Duke Economics Professor Craufurd Goodwin, who passed away on April 20. This change will be effective next month at the 2017 HES Conference in Toronto. “Interestingly enough, Craufurd suggested the creation of the HES ‘best article award’ in the early 1990s. It remained unnamed until now,” said HES President Mauro Boianovsky. Goodwin was a founding member of the Society, as well as a past president… read more about History of Economics Society Best Article Prize Becomes the “Craufurd Goodwin Best Article Prize” »