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Department of Economics
The American University Department of Economics supports a pluralist approach to economics that embraces mainstream and heterodox perspectives and emphasizes policy applications. We believe that theoretical understanding, empirical investigation, and policy analysis are enriched by study of the evolution of economic ideas and economic institutions.
Our mission is to provide undergraduate and graduate education, and faculty research, that enrich economic analysis and policy by implementing pluralist analytical approaches grounded in historical and empirical context. Offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, minors, and certificates in a heterodox atmosphere in addition to the Program on Gender Analysis and Info-Metrics Institute.
- Graduate degrees:
MA Economics
MA International Economics
Online MA Applied Economics
PhD Economics - Undergraduate degrees:
BA Economics
BS Economics
BS Mathematics & Economics
Recent Publications
Gunter, Bernhard and Britni Wilcher. “Three Decades of Globalisation: Which Countries Won, which Lost?” The World Economy, January 11, 2020. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/twec.12915
Gershman, Boris. "Witchcraft beliefs as a cultural legacy of the Atlantic slave trade: Evidence from two continents." European Economic Review, February 2020. doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2019.103362
Gershman, Boris, and Diego Rivera. "Measuring Regional Ethnolinguistic Diversity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Surveys vs. GIS." World Bank Economic Review, February 2020. doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhz032
Eschelbach Hansen, Mary, Michael E. Martell, and Leanne Roncolato (2019). "A labor of love: The impact of same-sex marriage on labor supply." Review of Economics of the Household 1-19. doi.org/10.1007/s11150-019-09454-1
Davis, Steven J., Dingqian Liu, and Xuguang S. Sheng. (2019). "China Policy Uncertainty Indices Based on Mainland Papers" Economic Policy Uncertainty
Floro, Maria, Mahmud Yesuf, and Trufat Woldesenbet. (2019). "Gender and Perception of Climate Change in Ethiopia." The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses 11 (2): 21-39. doi:10.18848/1835-7156/CGP/v11i02/21-39.
Stinebrickner, Ralph, Todd Stinebrickner, and Paul Sullivan (2019). Job Tasks, Time Allocation, and Wages, Journal of Labor Economics, 37(2).
See more Research & Publications.
Recent Award Winners
- Madison Mauro
Kinsman-Hurst Award - Stephan Lefebvre
James H. Weaver Prize for Teaching Excellence - Hanqing Ye
Professor Jose D. and Ursula Epstein Award - Dingqian Liu
Frank M. Tamagna Education Endowment Fund - Catherine Hensley
Fred and Barbara Bergmann Fellowship Fund - Austin Jang
Ruth Dewey Meade Prize - Tejesh Pradhan
Econometrics Paper Award
The DC metro area offers by far the highest concentration of economist jobs in the US, 19 times the national average, as well as median salary 15% above average: $133,000.
Graduates of the Economics Department make up an impressive contingency of Alumni, having gone on to work at places such as
- Deloitte
- IBM
- International Monetary Fund
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- US Department of Commerce
- The World Bank Group
For more information on where AU Economics graduates land visit the We Know Success page or visit the PhD Job Market Candidate page.
Bulletins
Professor Gabriel Mathy spoke to The Wall Street Journal about how the pandemic-caused recession has impacted Latino workers.
Professor Amos Golan presented to the Santa Fe Institute on the effects of universal TB vaccination, air pollution, and health-related expenditure on COVID-19 recovery rates.
Professor Evan Kraft published an opinion piece in The Hill entitled "Shaky economic data portend a shaky recovery."
Professor Maria Floro spoke to Business Insider about the effects of COVID-19 on women's careers.
Professor Gabriel Mathy's research into the service industry recession was cited in a Wall Street Journal article about the economic impact of the coronavirus.
Professor Mary Eschelbach Hansen co-wrote a Washington Post piece arguing that Congress should make it easier for businesses to declare bankruptcy.
The AU Economics Department welcomes our newest faculty member, Professor Gregory Lane.
A Career in Economics: It's Much More than You Think
Much more than finance, banking, business and government, a degree in economics is useful to all individuals and can lead to many interesting career choices. These four diverse individuals offer their insights on how a background in economics can be a tool for solving very human problems.