Bates Econ

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

Recent News:

  • Last-class Takeover in Professor Michael Murray’s Econometrics Class

    After serving 35 years at Bates College as the Charles Franklin Phillips Professor of Economics, Professor Michael Murray will retire after the current academic year. We celebrate his last class with a surprise class takeover.

  • 2022 Economics Student Awards and Announcements

    The annual Department Awards as decided by the Economics faculty. Congratulations to the following students: 

    • Chances Prize, awarded to a senior based on academic performance and interest in economics. Ognyan Simeonov
    • Stangle Prize for the junior with the highest GPA. Annabel Siegal and Qiyun Zhang
    • Stangle Prize for the senior with the highest GPA: Douglas Amirault and Zheng Yang Soh
    • The Women in Economics Leadership Award: Caitie McGlashan

    Congratulations to these outstanding students!

  • An Evening with Dr. Cecilia Rouse

    Cecilia Rouse, who serves as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, meets with Bates students at a welcome reception hosted by the Bates student club WE@Bates (Women in Economics) at the Fireplace Lounge on April 7, 2022.

    Later in the evening, Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics Lynne Lewis and Assistant Professor of Economics Nivedhitha Subramanian engaged Rouse in a lively Q&A session in Pettengill Hall’s Keck Classroom, followed by audience questions from students, faculty, and staff.

    Women in Economics provides a welcoming space for Bates students to explore the historically male-dominated fields of economics, finance, and consulting through mentorship groups; talks with leading researchers and Bates alumni; and support for students in discovering post-college opportunities.

    Rouse holds the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professorship in the Economics of Education at Princeton.

    Cecilia Rouse, who serves as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, meets with Bates students at a welcome reception hosted by the Bates student club WE@Bates (Women in Economics) at the Fireplace Lounge on April 7, 2022.Later in the evening, Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics Lynne Lewis and Assistant Professor of Economics Nivedhitha Subramanian engaged Rouse in a lively Q&A session in Pettengill Hall’s Keck Classroom, followed by audience questions from students, faculty, and staff.Women in Economics provides a welcoming space for Bates students to explore the historically male-dominated fields of economics, finance, and consulting through mentorship groups; talks with leading researchers and Bates alumni; and support for students in discovering post-college opportunities.Rouse holds the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professorship in the Economics of Education at Princeton.
    Cecilia Rouse, who serves as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, meets with Bates students at a welcome reception hosted by the Bates student club WE@Bates (Women in Economics) at the Fireplace Lounge on April 7, 2022.Later in the evening, Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics Lynne Lewis and Assistant Professor of Economics Nivedhitha Subramanian engaged Rouse in a lively Q&A session in Pettengill Hall’s Keck Classroom, followed by audience questions from students, faculty, and staff.Women in Economics provides a welcoming space for Bates students to explore the historically male-dominated fields of economics, finance, and consulting through mentorship groups; talks with leading researchers and Bates alumni; and support for students in discovering post-college opportunities.Rouse holds the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professorship in the Economics of Education at Princeton.
  • Economics faulty of 2021-2022

    Professor He:

      “I am studying how trade and immigration affect COVID-related xenophobia; whether Amazon raises its prices after its competing retailers disappear; what limits coordination within organizations; and how students in different classrooms can affect each others’ academic performances.”

    Professor Kurzfeld:

      “I examine the principles of rationality that help us understand criminal behavior, social responsibility, and ideas of justice.”

    Professor Lewis:

      “I am an environmental economist. I am a microeconomist who specializes in questions related to natural resources and pollution control.

      I study how incentives motivate behavior (think carbon taxes, gas taxes, bottle deposits).

      I also work to make sure environmental goods and services have a “seat at the table” by thinking about their value in economic terms. What is the value of the Grand Canyon? What is the value of a brown bear?”

    Professor Murray:

      “I’m interested in the plight of the least well-off and what economic theory and data can tell us about improving their lot.”

    Professor Nguyen:

    “I study the impact of land policies in developing countries on farmers’ economic decisions, such as their choices regarding technology adoption and migration.”

    Professor Riera-Crichton:

      “As a macroeconomist, I typically deal with the structure, performance, behavior, and decision-making of the whole, or aggregate, economy.

      While two main areas of macroeconomic research are long-term economic growth and shorter-term business cycles. I typically focus on the latter with an emphasis on open-economy and emerging markets. My interests range from understanding the effects of fiscal (taxation and public expenditure) and monetary policy on the performance of developing countries’ economies to understanding the drivers of the movement of capital across nations. I’m also interested in the determinants and effects of changes in international prices, especially the prices of international currencies (exchange rates) and the prices of internationally traded commodities.”

    Professor Rakitan:

    “I am fascinated by energy and its relationship to the environment, agriculture, and natural resources consumption.  I try to characterize the tradeoffs that energy requires and assess the overall costs and benefits.”

    Professor Shea:

      “As a macroeconomist, I am interested in what determines a country’s short and long-term economic performance. Why are there recessions? Why are some countries so much wealthier than others? I am especially interested in how incomplete or inaccurate information can cause households and firms to make decisions that impact the overall economy.”

    Professor Subramanian:

      “I am interested in how women interact with the economy in low- and middle-income countries, particularly with whether, how, and where they work.”

  • Congrats Econ Class of 2021!