The Department of Economics blog @ Wesleyan University
Professor Melanie Khamis and alumna Xiyue Li ’16 have just published “Environment Matters: New Evidence From Mexican Migration” in Applied Economics Letters. ABSTRACT: This article examines the effects of climate-related environmental disasters on migration. Results from the gravity model estimations show that these disasters are a significant determinant of internal Mexican migration. The findings remain robust … Read more
Karl Boulware and Ken Kuttner published “Labor market conditions and charges of discrimination: Is there a link?” in the May AEA Papers and Proceedings. https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/pandp.20191086 ABSTRACT: This paper’s goal is to determine whether the degree of labor market tightness affects the frequency of discrimination charges. State-level panel data on enforcement and litigation actions from the … Read more
The Economics Department hosted a wonderful poster session on May 9 showcasing our honors thesis students. Top left: Maya Harlan, “Biopsychosocial Factors and Context Effects on Gendered Differences in Risk Tolerance,” advised by Damien Sheehan-Connor Top right: Giovanni Hutchinson, “The Labor Market Trifecta: Race, Gender, and Personality,” advised by Joyce Jacobsen Bottom left: Will … Read more
The Economics Department is proud to announce the recipients of prizes for the 2018-19 academic year. Wilde Prize: In honor of Mr. Frazar B. Wilde, Chairman Emeritus of the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (died 1985), who throughout his professional career was keenly interested in not only the highest standards of responsible professionalism in business, but … Read more
Gary W. Yohe is the Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University, where he has been on the faculty for more than 40 years. He received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Economics from Yale University in 1975. He will retire from Wesleyan in May. You … Read more
Gill Skillman has published “Redistribution and persistent exploitation in an accumulation economy with decreasing marginal impatience,” in the Review of Social Economy (https://doi.org/10.1080/00346764.2018.1562199). Abstract: A variant of John Roemer’s accumulation economy is studied in which agents have identical payoff functions characterized by decreasing marginal impatience (DMI), such that time discount rates are decreasing in individual wealth levels. … Read more
Linda Mascaro received a Cardinal Achievement Award from the University for her outstanding work as the Economics Department’s Administrative Assistant. Economics faculty and students have long recognized that the department would not run without Linda; however, this year posed exceptional challenges, which she met with her customary grace and efficiency. During our two job … Read more
Michael C. Lovell, the Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Science, emeritus, died December 20, 2018, at the age of 88. Mike earned a BA in from Reed College in 1952, an MA from Stanford in 1954, and a PhD from Harvard in 1959. He first taught at Wesleyan as a part-time visiting … Read more
Karl Boulware has just published “A comment on interest rate pass-through: a non-normal approach” (co-authored with Dong-Yop Oh and Hyejin Lee) in Empirical Economics. Abstract: This paper revisits the question of interest rate pass-through from the federal funds rate to bank and open market rates from the years 1987 to 2015. We employ cointegration tests with improved testing power by using information … Read more
Two of our majors received athletic honors this week. Ice hockey forward Walker Harris ’20 was named a Third Team All-American and First Team All-NESCAC. Wrestler Zack Murillo ’19 was named the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year and an All-NEWA Second Team selection.
