Bates Econ


Welcome to the Bates Economics website, where you can find information on the department curriculum, faculty, events, and more.

Recent News:

  • Renewable Energy in Maine and New England

    Students in the short-term course Renewable Energy in Maine and New England, taught by Professor T.J. Rakitan, visited the college’s Shordtridge facility at Bates-Morse Mountain. The group toured the facility to learn about the renewable energy sources used to provide energy to the property.

  • Last-class Celebration for the Retirement of Professor Lynne Lewis from Bates

    Students celebrate the retirement of Dr. Lynne Y. Lewis, the Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics, in her last class at Bates.

  • Celebrating economics thesis writers!

    Fall thesis writers gathered this Monday to present and celebrate their thesis research in economics. Out of the 36 thesis students this semester, students and faculty voted for the thesis excellence awards.

    The winners are:

    Faculty choice award: Ally D’Aquino
    Faculty choice award runner-up: Patrick Bergin

    Student choice award (tie): Shelby Howard
    Student choice award (tie): Catie Sanchez
    Student choice award (tie): Chris Euston
    Student choice award runner-up: Luke Urribarri

    Congratulations to all the thesis writers for the successful and fulfilling experience!

  • Experience of the pandemic shifts attitudes toward the function of the government and market

    Professor Sandra Goff’s paper “Support for Bigger Government: The Principle-Implementation Gap and COVID-19” with John Ifcher, Homa Zarghamee, Alex Reents, and Patrick Wade, is forthcoming in Contemporary Economic Policy.

    Please read more about this study here, or see the paper here.

  • Four new faculty members join the Bates economics department

    Dr. Sam Bird, Dr. Sandra Goff, Dr. Amanda Lindsay, and Dr. Austin Smith joined the faculty in the economics department this fall.

    A recent article in The Bates Student writes:

    Coming from Miami University in Ohio, Smith looks forward to the small community at Bates and getting to know students in elements beyond the classroom, such as sports games. Smith’s goal is to get students excited about econometrics through providing hands-on opportunities to work with data and to see it in practice. “No more scaries” as he puts it, when it comes to students’ comfortability with this topic.

    Bird, from Luther College in Iowa, wants to “introduce students to principal courses where they can learn tools that professional economists use in their field.” Bird’s values in economics are complemented by the support he receives from the economic department as he is able to grow and learn from colleges. Additionally, he is especially excited about teaching an economics thesis seminar this year. Outside of the classroom, Bird is looking forward to exploring Maine and discovering cool spots around.  

    “I chose Bates because it is a fantastic school where people value research,” said Lindsay, who also comes from Luther College in Iowa. The environmental economist says she has a lot of optimism when teaching at Bates, as she can expand her dreams while impacting students as well. In her office, she has a large white board filled with current projects, ideas and future goals- all which see views as seeds that she hopes to grow at Bates. 

    Goff, from Skidmore College in New York, aims to “better infuse community-engaged learning through her classes by  providing students with new opportunities to explore the world of economics beyond the classroom.” After attending Colby College as a first generation student, Goff went on what she defines as an untraditional path and took more classes to explore areas of study she did not in her undergraduate, and as a result she is excited to embrace her role as an advisor and encourage students to accomplish whatever they desire. 

    See more at The Bates Student.