The Economics Department provides a wide selection of courses analyzing market behavior and the interactions among consumers, firms, and governments. Economic tools, which are applicable to a broad range of topics, are used to investigate how individuals and firms make decisions in private and public spheres and the consequences of resulting resource allocations. As our course offerings illustrate, economics is central to the study of poverty, discrimination, growth, unemployment, the environment, international trade, and development, encompassing everything from fertility rates and crime to the cyclical nature of a country’s aggregate production.

Economics classes emphasize theoretical modeling, empirical analysis, and critical thinking. After completing core courses in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, students choose from a wide variety of electives. Within the major, students may elect a concentration in financial markets or mathematical economics. The economics major provides undergraduate students with an excellent background for employment and graduate work in numerous fields, including economics, business, law, government, health care, and education.

Three tenure-track positions available in the Department

International Economics or Development Economics (East Asia)

Environmental Economics

Applied Microeconomics/Industrial Organization

Rao presents paper on domestic oil producers and the effects of taxes

Nirupama Rao, Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, came to Colby College on November 30 to present her paper “Taxing Exhaustible Resources: Evidence from California Oil Production.” She studies the reaction of domestic oil producers on the levying of excise taxes. (Click here for full story).

Colby will host CBB Annual Economics Conference in April 2012

Alumnae pursue Ph.Ds in graduate school

Health and life satisfaction in East and West Germany post-reunification, and teacher quality, happiness, and retention in public and charter schools. These are two areas of research alumni Jacqueline S. Smith Zweig, ’04, and Lauren Calimeris, ’03, respectively, have been spending their time on in the past few years. (Click here for the full story)

Vuletin discusses developing countries’ escape from procyclicality

In a recent article, Assistant Professor Guillermo Vuletin from the Colby Department of Economics, along with Professors Jeffrey Frankel (Harvard University) and Carlos Végh (University of Maryland), discusses how, in a historic shift, many developing countries were able to escape from procyclical fiscal policies. (Click here for the full story)

Bowdoin hosts CBB Annual Economics Conference

On Saturday April 30th, students and faculty from Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin came together for the Second Annual CBB Economics Conference. Faculty and students spent the day presenting their research on many fields of specialization within economics. Senior economics majors were encouraged to present their honors work while underclassmen could learn and ask questions about professional economic research. (Click here for the full story)

Q&A with Professor Findlay

Pugh Family Professor of Economics David A. Findlay discusses Economics, the economy and teaching at a top liberal arts college. (Click here for the full story)