25 March 2010 12:00AM "What's Durham's competition? You're looking at some of the other top, hot high tech cities. And yet, Durham does it with a much greater degree of diversity and vitality, having regenerated its downtown," said Duke University Economics Associate Chair Charles Becker. Professor Becker, whose specialties include urban economics, spoke with ABC News 11 on the economic situation in Durham at the State of Durham's Economy breakfast on March 23. Watch the video interview or read the complete article. read more about Professor Charlie Becker on the Durham Economy »
18 March 2010 12:00AM On March 26 and 27, friends and colleagues of Craufurd Goodwin will gather at Duke University for a two-day series of events celebrating forty years of History of Political Economy, the first scholarly journal devoted to the history of economics and economic thought, and forty years of Craufurd’s extraordinary stewardship as the only editor the publication has ever had. The celebration begins with a keynote address at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26th, in the Goodson Chapel in the Divinity School by… read more about Celebrating 40 Years of the History of Political Economy Journal »
15 March 2010 12:00AM On April 2-3, an ERID conference is being held on "Islam and Economic Development: Past and Present." A total of 14 papers will be presented over a day and a half, two by members of our own department and twelve by economists and political scientists from other universities in the US and abroad. The presentations will be in the Social Sciences building in room 113. The conference papers have started to come in, and all will be available approximately one week before the conference. Visit the conference… read more about Islam and Economic Development ERID Conference »
04 March 2010 12:00AM In his scholarship, Duke Professor Timur Kuran attempts to answer the complex and politically charged question of why Islamic countries are less economically developed, in general, than Western ones. Watch him discuss the topic and field questions in a “Office Hours” webcast interview. View the video interview. read more about Timur Kuran Discusses Economic Development of the Islamic World »
03 March 2010 12:00AM Beginning with the class of 2012, economics students can select a finance concentration, and non-economics majors can obtain a minor in finance. "The finance minor is an opportunity for non-Economics majors with strong quantitative skills to obtain exposure to a broad array of finance classes, without having to complete the extensive economics core curriculum," explained Professor Emma Rasiel, who teaches finance both in the classroom and through the Financial Education Partnership. Requirements for… read more about New Finance Concentration and Minor Now Offered to Students »
26 February 2010 12:00AM “The main reason I came back to the area is because of the economics department at Duke – people here are passionate about doing research,” said Assistant Professor Jimmy Roberts. “It’s a department on the rise, and folks are always trying to improve it – they aren’t complacent.” After growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Roberts first came to the department’s attention six years ago when he won Best Paper and Participant for the Duke University Undergraduate Economics Research Symposium, while… read more about New Professor Jimmy Roberts Returns to the South »
22 February 2010 12:00AM The department of economics will host the 2010 meeting of the Diversity Initiative for Tenure in Economics (DITE) beginning this Thursday, Feb. 25. Funded by the National Science Foundation, DITE is an initiative to increase the tenure rates among young minority faculty around the country. "We had excellent participation by our faculty in these sessions last year," said department chair Patrick Bayer. "I hope that we continue the tradition of contributing our time and energy to this important effort… read more about Diversity Initiative for Tenure in Economics (DITE) 2010 Meeting »
15 February 2010 12:00AM This year the department of economics has received the most graduate student applications in its history. More than 1000 applicants sent in their materials to be considered for the Master's or Ph.D. program in 2010. "Applicants are becoming more aware of the department's serious commitment to expanding research, funding, and career opportunities for graduate students," explained Jennifer Counts, graduate program coordinator. "This is an exciting place to be a graduate student right now." Master's… read more about Most Graduate Program Applicants in the History of the Econ Department »
11 February 2010 12:00AM Originally from Romania, Cosmin Ilut joined the department of economics at Duke University last summer. Ilut's major fields of interest are macroeconomics, finance and the economics of information. "I like studying topics related to information and macroeconomics because to me it's a very exciting and relevant area to work in," Ilut said. "These aren’t just some boring math models but rather about analyzing how information is processed and disseminated and the general problem of what… read more about New Faculty Member Cosmin Ilut »
09 February 2010 12:00AM Economics professor Rachel Kranton and Nobel Laureate George Akerlof were recently highlighted in The Chronicle of Higher Education for their groundbreaking work on identity economics. "Without identity," Kranton says, "you will miss a huge part of what drives economic outcomes and economic behavior." Identity economics, according to Akerlof and Kranton, is both a continuation of and a departure from other developments in the field over the last half-century that have brought economics… read more about Rachel Kranton and Nobel Laureate George Akerlof on Identity »
04 February 2010 12:00AM In its latest list, Tilburg University has slotted Duke University at number 14 in its worldwide rankings for economics schools based on publications between 2004-2008. Duke shares the 14th spot with the University of Michigan. Following is Duke University's ranking broken down by year: 2004: 20th 2005: 17th 2006: 15th 2007: 13th 2008: 10th "Any such ranking is subject to arbitrary methodological choices. Rankings like this are only an indicator of research output, not an end in and of themselves,"… read more about Duke University Ranked #14 in Economics Based on Research »
01 February 2010 12:00AM Atila Abdulkadiroglu, who researches mechanism design, market design and the economics of education, had an article published in the December 2009 issue of the American Economic Review (AER) and has had another paper accepted by the AER for publication. Learn more about Professor Abdulkadiroglu by visiting his profile page and reading the abstracts of his two papers below. Published in December 2009 issue of the AER: Title: Strategy-proofness versus Efficiency in Matching with… read more about Professor Atila Abdulkadiroglu in the American Economic Review »
26 January 2010 12:00AM Why are some societies relatively rich and others relatively poor? This is perhaps the most fundamental question in all of economics. Although aspects of the issue remain unresolved, there is a consensus among economists that well-defined property rights, low and stable inflation, and reasonable regulatory and taxation regimes are conducive to growth. In short, markets do produce the goods. But what produces the institutions that are necessary for the development of a well-functioning market… read more about Timur Kuran Discusses Islamic Economics, Preference Falsification »
22 January 2010 12:00AM “It’s a very vibrant department that continues to be rising across the board,” said Professor Patrick Bayer, the chair of the department of economics. “I’m happy to commit to this place because of the unique intellectual energy here.”Bayer, who joined the department in 2006 and became chair in 2009, took a break from his research, teaching and advising to answer some questions related to the department and its future. Q: Why did you accept the position of chair of the department? A:… read more about Department Chair Pat Bayer on Recent Changes, Future Plans »
21 January 2010 12:00AM Saturday, Februrary 6, 8:00-11:00 PM The EGSC Faculty and Ph.D. Student Wine and Cheese party will be held, conveniently, on West Campus at the LGBT Center directly below The Loop. Who could ask for more than tasty wines and savory cheeses, good company and stimulating debates? This highly anticipated annual event has always been thoroughly enjoyed by scores of graduate students and faculty members that choose to attend. To foster a more collegial environment between faculty and students, we… read more about EGSC Student-Faculty Wine and Cheese Party »
19 January 2010 12:00AM Federico Bugni, an assistant professor who joined the department last year, has had a paper accepted for publication in Econometrica, the Journal of the Econometric Society. "Bootstrap Inference in Partially Identified Models Defined by Moment Inequalities: Coverage of the Identified Set" will be published in an upcoming issue of this top economics journal. Learn more about Professor Bugni by vising his profile page and reading the abstract of the paper below: Abstract: This paper introduces a… read more about Federico Bugni in Econometrica »
15 January 2010 12:00AM Ikee Gardner (pictured top left), a double major in Economics and English, shares her experience working in Korea and offers suggestions for current and prospective economics students in the interview below.What is your hometown? Chicago, Illinois, USA.What have you done since graduating in 2008? After graduation, I worked in Chicago at a small financial marketing firm that represented three futures traders in all client services and communications aspects. My… read more about Q&A with Ikee Gardner, Class of '08 »
14 January 2010 12:00AM Normal.dotm 0 0 1 100 570 Duke University 4 1 700 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false  ]]>The department of economics at Duke University officially launched its Facebook page on January 13, corresponding with the first day of the spring semester. Professor Connel Fullenkamp was the first faculty member to post on the wall, offering some unique tips for student success. Events, photos, news, and contests will be found on its Facebook page. The department of… read more about Facebook Page Launched by Duke's Department of Economics »
12 January 2010 12:00AM Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor Connel Fullenkamp offered his perspective on remittances in the December 2009 issue of the International Monetary Fund magazine “Finance and Development.” Fullenkamp and his coauthor, Ralph Chami, explain the difficulties of remittances in the Point-Counterpoint section of the issue. Read the full article and visit the site of the IMF Finance and Development magazine for additional discussion of current economic issues. read more about “A Wobbly Crutch": Fullenkamp on Remittances in IMF Magazine »
07 January 2010 12:00AM The papers of preeminent American economist Paul A. Samuelson (1914-2009) will be added to the Economists Papers Project in the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library at Duke. Samuelson was the first American recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics. Prior to his death on 13 December, Samuelson had made the decision to donate his papers to Duke where they will join the collections of his MIT Nobel Prize-winning colleagues Robert Solow and Franco Modigliani, as well as… read more about Economist Paul Samuelson's Papers Coming to Duke »
31 December 2009 12:00AM "It's one of Duke's well-kept secrets," said Gale Boyd, executive director of the Triangle Census Research Data Center, located in Social Sciences 329-D. The Triangle RDC allows researchers whose proposals have been approved by the U.S. Census Bureau to access confidential microdata not released to the public. Visit the TCRDC website for more information or read the full article from Duke University's social science magazine Gist from the Mill. read more about More than Counting People »
21 December 2009 12:00AM Read the full story from Duke University's Gist from the Mill, the social science magazine sponsored by the Social Science Research Institute. read more about Rachel Kranton: Social Networks and Why They Matter »
08 December 2009 12:00AM December 05, 2009 – A three-week, 2010 Summer Institute at Duke University will provide a “Boot Camp” in the history of economic thought for college faculty.The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded Duke a grant of $148, 416 to support the project, “Teaching the History of Political Economy,” to be led by Dr. Bruce Caldwell, professor of economics and Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke. The Institute will explore the ideas of the great economic… read more about NEH Grant to Support 2010 Summer Institute at Duke »
03 December 2009 12:00AM Three former students of our Master’s Program hit the job market this year, as they near completion of their doctoral work. Alumni Adam Aiken (’05), Byung Soo Lee (’06) and Daniel Taylor (’05) will complete their Ph.D.s in 2010. “The econometrics training I received in the M.A. program at Duke is second to none. It gave me a significant advantage in future coursework and research,” said Dan Taylor, a Ph.D. student in accounting at the School of Business at Stanford University. Dan's research… read more about Master's Program Alumni Now Ph.D.s on the Job Market »
17 November 2009 11:38AM Duke economics professor Emma Rasiel offered her perspective on the current events in the financial world and answered related questions in a live, interactive “Office Hours” webcast on Friday, Nov. 20, on Duke’s Ustream channel. Rasiel, an assistant professor of the practice in economics, was named one of four great university instructors by Newsweek magazine this summer. Before coming to Duke, she traded bond options as an executive director at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. See the full… read more about Professor Emma Rasiel Talks Finance on Live Webcast »
15 November 2009 12:00AM Tuesday, September 01 2009 by Frank Stasio and Susan Davis | Send to a friend You can’t tune into the current health care debate or the ongoing story of the financial crisis without hearing the word “socialism.” The politically-charged term is being thrown around a lot lately, but what does it mean? It seems that scholars use it one way, policy wonks another and angry taxpayers have their own ideas. Host Frank Stasio convenes a panel of experts to unpack the term… read more about Bruce Caldwell discusses socialism on WUNC's "The State of Things" »
05 November 2009 12:00AM Some quick-thinking undergraduate students of economics and business recently competed to test their financial knowledge and win a trip to New York. In this video piece, see highlights from the competition, part of the Financial Education Partnership program at Duke. read more about Financial Fact Challenge »
28 October 2009 12:00AM Five of our outstanding Ph.D. students are now on the job market. Jason Blevins, Roberto Pancrazi, Nurgul Ukueva, Marija Vukotic and Sarah Zubairy are scheduled to graduate in May 2010. In the Job Market Candidates area, you'll find information on all five candidates along with their curriculum vitaes, fields of specialty, job market papers and references. read more about Job Market Candidates 2009-2010 »
21 October 2009 3:49PM DURHAM, N.C. -- Economics professor Seth Sanders has been named the new director of the Duke University Population Research Institute (DuPRI), an affiliate of the Social Science Research Institute, the provost's office announced. DuPRI's research focus includes aging, health and family, fertility, and migration. Its mission is to organize all population research at Duke, attract to the Duke faculty some of the field’s most acclaimed researchers and new talent; and to expand the intellectual… read more about Seth Sanders Named Director of Duke's Population Research Institute »
19 October 2009 12:00AM Durham, NC -- As financial markets lost value this year, a group of Duke University students found themselves in the midst of the turmoil, developing an investment strategy for a major Wall Street firm. While living in New York City for the semester, a team of eight students wrote a report for a Citigroup executive on how to take advantage of low prices for companies operating in the specialized “monoline” insurance industry, which was effected by the decline in value of subprime mortgages. “You… read more about Students Learn About Credit Crunch Up Close »