Skip to main content

Letter from the Chair

lawrence-christiano-168 x 192

Lawrence Christiano
Alfred W. Chase Professor; Department Chair

Happy New Year! There is much to be excited about in the economics department. We are continuing to get stronger and one indication is our continued ability to convince outstanding new PhD economists to join our faculty. We are also very happy about the substantial growth we have experienced in the area of economic development, a field of economics which studies the causes of poverty and what we can do about it.

One factor that makes us stronger is our increasingly close connections with other parts of the campus. For example, many of our new hiring initiatives build on the long-standing collaboration between us and Kellogg. Similarly, our relationship with the Institute for Policy Research is very important to us, and we have opened up new connections with the School of Education and Social Policy and with the Buffett Institute. In addition, we have started discussions on ways that we can collaborate with Computer Science. All these connections enrich the intellectual environment for our faculty and students.  

Another factor that makes us stronger is the dedication of our staff. They help the faculty do its job, and they are always on the lookout for new and creative ways to do that job even better. An example is this newsletter and the various initiatives that it describes. These initiatives represent different ways of better communicating who we are, what we do, and what gets us excited. Our target audience is our students, alumni, friends and prospective students.

As we get stronger in the conceptual aspects of economics, as well as in the analysis of economic data, we become better positioned in our mission of helping students and researchers grapple with the problems of our time.

We wish you a prosperous and happy 2019!