Economics

 

Levina Setiono dreams of founding her own palm oil farm in Surabaya, Indonesia, where she grew up. Setiono said a double major in economics and international agricultural development will help her learn deeply about the economic risks and benefits involved in launching her own business venture.

Ryan Calbreath, Political Science-Public Service and Economics ’18 Ryan Calbreath attended the UC Davis Washington Program in Fall 2017. Intern, Office of Congressman Raúl Grijalva

Interning at the office of a U.S. congressmember, Ryan Calbreath expected to be nearly invisible among such powerful political figures. What he didn’t expect was the welcoming and supportive environment that embraced him.

What can financial crises reveal about institutional stability? How can history help us to weather future recessions? Professor of Economics Christopher M. Meissner examines the rise of political radicalism, applying lessons from economic history. 

Economic history not only reveals the causes of financial crises, but also enlightens us about the effects of policies intended to resolve them. This knowledge can help policy makers contend with current economic problems.

For the 2015 Sheffrin Lecture, Princeton University economist Atif Mian addressed the question, "What Happened to Global Growth?"

 

Jonathan Gruber, Ford Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, delivered the inaugural Sheffrin Lecture, “Health Reform in the U.S.: How We Got Here and Where We Are Going.”

Gruber was a key architect of Massachusetts’ health reform. During 2009–10 he served as a technical consultant to the Obama Administration and worked to help craft the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In 2011 he was named “One of the Top 25 Most Innovative and Practical Thinkers of Our Time” by Slate Magazine.

Sendhil Mullainathan, an economist at Harvard University, delivered the 2014 Sheffrin Lecture "Scarcity: A Talk for People Too Busy to Attend Talks.”

 

Mullainathan's recent book, Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, draws on cutting-edge research from behavioral science and economics to show that scarcity creates a similar psychology for everyone struggling to manage with less than they need.