News Archive: 2016

Oct 27, 2016
Professor Alan Krueger to deliver the 2017 Razin Lecture

Alan Krueger, Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University will deliver the 2017 Razin Policy Lecture on April 24. The Lecture will take place on Monday, April 24, 2017 from 4:00 to 6:00 on the Georgetown University campus. A reception will follow.

Professor Krueger’s research has included: a study showing that minimum wage hikes can be associated with increased low-skill employment; predictions about who becomes a terrorist; proposals to create national “well-being” accounts to complement measured GDP; a demonstration that graduates of selective colleges (Georgetown?) do not earn higher incomes than similar graduates of less-selective colleges; evidence that computers have contributed to growing income inequality; evidence that economic growth does not necessarily degrade the environment; a paper about the music industry called “Rockonomics”; and much, much more.

While not at Princeton, Professor Krueger has served as Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, Chief Economist at the U.S. Treasury during the financial crisis, and Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Apr 17, 2016
Austan Goolsbee delivers 2016 Razin Lecture

Professor Austan Goolsbee recently delivered the 2016 Razin Lecture. Professor Goolsbee’s talk, “Are We Doomed?”, did what dismal scientists often do, answering the question separately for the short and long runs. The short run outlook for the US economy is not rosy and unlikely to be rescued by the usual saviors. The Fed cannot set interest rates lower. Exports depend on healthy economies in other countries. Home construction is unlikely to return to pre-bubble levels. And consumers are unlikely to return to the pre-2008 spending levels that were financed by that bubble. Goolsbee’s long-run outlook, however, is less dismal. US productivity and per-capita GDP growth have been steady for decades or centuries, and it’s hard to imagine that whatever the 21st century obstacles to growth might be, that they are more imposing than the flu pandemics, depressions, world wars, and oil crises that characterized the 20th century.

Feb 23, 2016
Martin Ravallion receives BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award

It is with great pride that the Economics Department announces that Martin Ravallion, the Edmond D.Villani Professor of Economics, has been awarded a BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for his research on global poverty. Department Chair Frank Vella said “Martin is a remarkable scholar and his dedication to scholarship and research is an inspiration for all those who encounter him or his work. While his work reflects the academic goals of measuring the extent and understanding the causes of poverty, it is motivated by his greater personal commitment to help those who suffer the consequences of such living conditions. This award is further recognition of the importance and impact of Martin’s work.” More information on the award and Professor Ravallion’s contributions.

Feb 12, 2016
GU Econ Phds’ research on Tax Bunching featured in WSJ article

New research by two recent GU Economics Phd students, Jake Mortenson and Andrew Whitten, is featured in the Wall Street Journal’s online edition. The article, entitled “How Some Americans Hit the Maximum Tax-Refund Sweet Spot” discusses research by Mortenson and Whitten, “How Sensitive Are Taxpayers to Marginal Tax Rates? Evidence from Income Bunching in the United States.” In the paper, Mortenson and Whitten use tax return data to document how reported incomes on tax returns tend to be bunched at the break points in the federal tax code. Their results quantify the way in which discrete jumps in marginal tax rates alter the behavior of households.

Jan 12, 2016
Professor Austan Goolsbee to deliver the 2016 Razin Lecture

Austan Goolsbee, the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School will deliver the 2016 Razin Policy Lecture on April 6. The Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 6, 2015 from 3:30 to 5:00 in the Lohrfink Auditorium on the GU campus. A reception will follow.

Having received his PhD from MIT in 1995, Professor Goolsbee is well known for his work on the economics of the internet, e-commerce, and the effects of new technologies generally on society. Professor Goolsbee is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has served in numerous policy positions including Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Chairman of the Policy Committee for the OECD, and Senior Economic Advisor to President Obama’s election campaign.

Jan 10, 2016
19th Razin Prize Awarded to PhD Student Jordan Marcusse

The Graduate Committee is pleased to announce that Jordan Marcusse is the winner of the nineteenth annual Razin Prize. Jordan received the award for his main dissertation paper entitled “Wage Bargaining and the Beveridge Curve.”. Established by the Razin family in 1997 to honor the memory of Ofair Razin (1966-1996; PhD, Georgetown University, 1996), the Razin Prize is awarded each year for the best dissertation paper produced by an advanced graduate student in Economics at GU.

Congratulations to Jordan and to his advisers James Albrecht, Axel Anderson, Luca Flabbi, and Susan Vroman.

The Razin Economic Policy Lecture and the award ceremony will take place April 6. Details to follow soon.