Economics Department
Professor Connel Fullenkamp weighs in on inflation (is it really back?) in a new op-ed for Newsweek. read more about Yes, Inflation Is Really Back »
Duke Economics graduates were treated to a surprise guest speaker when they logged on to watch the departmental commencement video on Sunday, May 2nd. Fred Ehrsam (T ’10) partnered with the department to wish the recent graduates well on their special day. Erhsam graduated from Duke in 2010 with honors and departmental distinctions in both Economics and Computer Science. After working as a trader at Goldman Sachs, Erhsam co-founded Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange platform in the U.S., and served as its first… read more about Duke Econ Alum Fred Ehrsam (T' 10) Addresses 2021 Graduates »
Two Duke faculty members have been elected as members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors in the profession. Joseph Heitman, MD, PhD, the James B. Duke Professor and Chair of theDepartment of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the Duke University School of Medicine, and Rachel Kranton, PhD, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Economics and Dean of Social Sciences in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, join 37 other Duke faculty members previously elected to the… read more about Two Duke Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences »
Six members of the Class of 2022 have been named to the inaugural class of Nakayama Scholars. Juniors Sydney Albert, Carlee Goldberg, Erica Langan, Yi Xian “Lyndon” Lee, Ahn-Huy Nguyen, and Micalyn Struble were chosen for their stellar academics, leadership and demonstrated commitment to a career in public service. The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship is part of the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with the large challenges facing communities around the world. The… read more about Six Students Named Inaugural Nakayama Public Service Scholars »
At the end of every spring semester, the Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) selects seniors to receive the DFE Leadership Award, which honors students’ initiative in finance-related activities and dedication to mentorship. The 2020-2021 recipients of the DFE Leadership Award are Itamar Barak, Noah Karpel, Eric Little, and Hannah O’Sullivan. Despite the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic year, these seniors continued to step up, making themselves available to younger students for advising, organizing events to help… read more about Q&A with DFE Leadership Award Winner Noah Karpel ’21 »
At the end of every spring semester, the Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) selects seniors to receive the DFE Leadership Award, which honors students’ initiative in finance-related activities and dedication to mentorship. The 2020-2021 recipients of the DFE Leadership Award are Itamar Barak, Noah Karpel, Eric Little, and Hannah O’Sullivan. Despite the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic year, these seniors continued to step up, making themselves available to younger students for advising, organizing events to help… read more about Q&A with DFE Leadership Award Winner Eric Little ’21 »
At the end of every spring semester, the Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) selects seniors to receive the DFE Leadership Award, which honors students’ initiative in finance-related activities and dedication to mentorship. The 2020-2021 recipients of the DFE Leadership Award are Itamar Barak, Noah Karpel, Eric Little, and Hannah O’Sullivan. Despite the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic year, these seniors continued to step up, making themselves available to younger students for advising, organizing events to help… read more about Q&A with DFE Leadership Award Winner Hannah O’Sullivan ’20 »
At the end of every spring semester, the Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) selects seniors to receive the DFE Leadership Award, which honors students’ initiative in finance-related activities and dedication to mentorship. The 2020-2021 recipients of the DFE Leadership Award are Itamar Barak, Noah Karpel, Eric Little, and Hannah O’Sullivan. Despite the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic year, these seniors continued to step up, making themselves available to younger students for advising, organizing events to help… read more about Q&A with DFE Leadership Award Winner Itamar Barak ’21 »
DURHAM, N.C. — Integrating the American classroom has long been a goal of many who seek to eradicate racial discrimination. But a new paper from four economists, including Duke University’s William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., suggests that Black students do not always benefit from attending racially balanced schools. Instead, Black adults who attended racially balanced high schools in the mid-20th century completed significantly less schooling than those who attended either predominantly black or predominantly white schools,… read more about For Some Black Students, Discrimination Outweighed Integration's Benefits »
Graduate and professional programs across the university also scored impressive rankings in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of graduate programs released today. Duke University School of Medicine rose to third among 122 medical schools in the nation for research. In addition to the medical research rating, seven specialty programs in the School of Medicine placed in the top 10: Surgery (second); Anesthesiology (fourth); Internal Medicine (fifth); Radiology (sixth); Pediatrics (seventh, tied); Obstetrics… read more about Duke Graduate Programs Score High In Latest US News Rankings »
How will this round of stimulus checks specifically impact college students? Professor Connel Fullenkamp weighs in. read more about This Time, the Stimulus Package Helps More College Students »
In Boston, the median white household owns $247,500 in wealth – assets minus debts. In the same city, the median Black household owns a mere $8 in wealth. That’s right, eight dollars. The same pattern repeats itself across the United States, where a yawning wealth gap separates Black and white Americans. Just how did that vast chasm come about? And how might we respond to it? Those questions are at the heart of the new six-part series, “The Arc of Justice,” a special production of the Sanford School of Public Policy’s “… read more about ‘Arc of Justice’ Launches New Series on Inequality »
With everything going virtual, how will that effect conferences and events in the future? Professor Arnaud Maurel weighs in about his experiences this past year. read more about Why Virtual Conferences are Here to Stay »
Professor Vincent Conitzer has accepted a leadership role in a new artificial intelligence (AI) venture with the University at Oxford, the institution announced in a press release on Feb. 16. The Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford aims to tackle major ethical challenges posed by AI, from facial recognition to voter profiling, brain machine interfaces to weaponized drones, and the ongoing discourse about how AI will impact employment on a global scale. Conitzer is joining the organization as the institute’s Head of… read more about Duke Faculty Member to Partner With New AI Institute at Oxford »
Last fall, Duke alumni Alex Sanchez Bressler ’18 and Daniela Saucedo ‘18, along with Saucedo’s mother, Ana Brewton, started a fused glass business. The trio now melts glass at a sweltering 1480 degrees Fahrenheit in the Sonoran Desert. Their kiln—a one-ton oven consuming a quarter of the garage—completes one firing over the course of fifteen hours. This was not something they planned to do together. La Colombe Contemporary Glasswork was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic within the confines of Brewton’s house in… read more about All in the Family: La Colombe Contemporary Glasswork »
Connell Fullenkamp, a professor of the practice of Economics, made a video for Great Courses Daily explaining what happened to cause the Gamestop stock price to rise by 2,000 percent. read more about Professor for The Great Courses Explains GameStop Stock Surge »
Still scratching your head over what happened with Gamestop stock? Professor Connel Fullenkamp breaks it down. read more about Professor for The Great Courses Explains GameStop Stock Surge »
This month, we present a collection of 10 Duke-authored books detailing the history of Black life in America. While this is not a comprehensive list of all Duke scholarship on Black history, it is intended to be an introduction to the multifaceted work of Duke scholars in public policy, history, documentary studies, religious studies, African and African-American studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, art, art history, and visual studies. These books, along with many others, are available at Duke University Libraries,… read more about 10 Duke-Authored Books on Black History »
In a new working paper, professor Chris Timmins and co-authors find that putting a pause on evictions and utility shut-offs during the pandemic reduces infection rates. read more about Moratoria on Utility Shutoffs and Evictions Reduced COVID-19 Infection Rates, Duke Analysis Finds »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Policies that helped financially struggling Americans stay in their homes and keep access to water and electricity during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped reduce the spread of the virus, according to a new analysis by Duke University researchers. Eviction moratoria and relief from utility disconnections reduced COVID-19 cases by 8.2 percent from the onset of the pandemic through the end of November 2020, the authors found. The findings were published Monday as a National Bureau of Economic Research working… read more about Eviction, Utility Moratoria Helped Slow Spread of COVID »