Department of Economics & Management


Economist Blog discusses Prof. Chamlee-Wright's Katrina Recovery Research


Prof. Josh Hall supplied data revisions and updates for The Economic Freedom of the World: 2007 Annual Report


Prof. Warren Palmer, Raymond Ting, a departmental major from the 1990s, and Betsy Brewer, Director of International Education, organized a dinner for Friends of Beloit in China in Shanghai, May, 2007.

Josh Hall & Scott Beaulier

Joshua Hall Joins Department

Joshua Hall recently completed his Ph.D at West Virginia University. He teaches and researches in the area of applied microeconomics, including urban economics, public finance and the economics of education. His past accomplishments include serving as an economist on the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. Recently, Professor Hall was extensively quoted in a July 20, 2007 Financial Times (Germany) article on the economy of the fictional town of Springfield from the television show The Simpsons.  With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Professor Hall noted that while the downtown seemed to be doing well, the city's low levels of human capital seemed to be holding back foreign direct investment. The original article in German can be found here, and a rough translation here. A frequent user of popular culture in the classroom, Josh was contacted because of his award-winning teaching article "Homer Economicus: Using The Simpsons to Teach Economics." His most recent contribution in the same vein is "From ABBA to Zeppelin, Led: Using Music to Teach Economics" (with R. Lawson and D. Mateer) forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Education. His most recently publsihed paper, "Local School Finance and Productive Efficiency: Evidence from Ohio," appeared in the September 2007 issue of the Atlantic Economic Journal.

 

 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Economics and Management is to introduce our students to the world of ideas and to the world itself. We want our students to ask and to begin to understand questions such as:  What drives human progress? Why do some societies prosper while others remain poor?  What economic institutions and policies are essential for the good society? How can I make a difference in the fields of business and public policy to create a more prosperous world?

We believe that these are first order questions for any liberally educated person. We also understand that these questions are extraordinarily complex. To grapple with these great questions students need to build their understanding on a foundation of economic theory and quantitative analysis of empirical phenomena. On this foundation we build understanding of economic institutions, the international flow of ideas, people, goods and capital, and the key role of the entrepreneur as the driving force of economic change.

We complement this immersion in the world of ideas with experience in the broader world. We seek to provide students with opportunities to engage with the world itself. We believe that students should do some of the following: study abroad, pursue an internship, develop a business venture, engage in civic activity, and join (and lead) an organization.