Professor Stephen Ross attended the advisory council meeting for the 2010 Housing Discrimination Study at the Urban Institute on Nov 16th. The 2010 Housing Discrimination Study is a nationwide effort to measure the level of racial and ethnic discrimination in U.S. metropolitan areas using pairs of testers sent to the same real estate or rental agency. Professor Ross was the research director for the 2000 Housing Discrimination Study and has been a key advisor on the new study since its inception.
Author: kak11010
Seminar Series: Alumnus Jeffrey Milyo
On Friday, November 16, the Economics Department welcomed back an illustrious alumnus as a speaker in the department’s weekly seminar series. Jeffrey Milyo ’86, Middlebush Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Missouri, spoke on “Campaign Finance Reform and the ‘Actuality and Appearance’ of Corruption.”
Milyo graduated from UConn as an Honors and University Scholar, which allowed him to receive the B.A. and M.A. in Economics simultaneously. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford, and went on to positions at Tufts and the University of Chicago before coming to Missouri.
Using differences in campaign-finance laws among U. S. states as a natural experiment, Milyo’s seminar paper tested empirically the effect of campaign-finance reform on corruption in government. His conclusion is that campaign finance reform has no discernible effect on levels of corruption.
Professor Prakash joins the Editorial Board of Economies
Professor Nishith Prakash was recently invited to join the Editorial Board of Economies. Economies is a newly formed international scientific open access journal of development economics. In addition to reviewing manuscripts, Professor Prakash will be given the opportunity to edit a special issue on a topic closely related to his research.
Professor Harmon Presents at ITL Lunchtime Workshop
Prof. Oskar Harmon co-presented with Professor Steven Park at the Uconn Institute of Teaching and Learning’s lunchtime workshop “Mobile Learn for Students” on Nov. 6 2012. The seminars provide an opportunity to gather with colleagues to listen, discuss, comment, interact, and reflect on a number of topics. Prof. Harmon is part of the Fall 2012 Mobile Learn pilot project exploring the capabilities of the mobile App for BlackBoard Next Generation. At the workshop Prof. Harmon discussed his experience with creating tests, announcements, and multimedia course content for mobile devices.
Econ Professor’s Book Translated into Vietnamese
The book Toward a Market Economy in Vietnam edited by Associate Professor William Alpert has been translated into Vietnamese. The translated title, “Để Tiến Tới Một Nền Kinh Tế Tự Do ở Việt Nam,” changes “market economy” to “free economy,” emphasizing social justice over competition.
Professor Alpert comments that “The Vietnamese are attempting their own version of a Chinese Economic Miracle.”
Professors Alpert and Harmon present at the International Atlantic Economic Conference
Professor William Alpert and Professor Oskar Harmon presented the paper “Using Social Media in the Online Classroom”, co-authored with Joseph Histen, at the 74th International Atlantic Economic Conference in Montreal Canada, October 4-7. The paper discusses issues related to appropriate uses of social media in an instructional setting and presents empirical estimates of the effects of usage of social media on learning outcomes.
Sanglim Lee Update
On August 10, 2012, Sanglim Lee defended his dissertation entitled “Expected Currency Excess Returns and Debt in the Business Cycle,” under the supervision of Professor Christian Zimmermann.
In the first chapter of his dissertation, Sanglim shows that the risk premium is an important factor in explaining deviations from Uncovered Interest Parity (UIP) in 20 developed and 18 developing countries. In the second chapter, he further examines the UIP condition with a two-country International Real Business Cycle model and shows that the business cycle risk driven by total factor productivity can account for deviations from UIP. The third chapter examines the effects of fiscal austerity on the Canadian economy using a two-sector small open economy model. The model’s simulation results indicate that the effect of fiscal austerity on the economy depends crucially on the relationship between public-debt levels and country-risk premiums.
Starting on October 8th, Sanglim works as a research fellow at the Korea Energy Economics Institute in South Korea.
Fall 2012 Issue of The Connecticut Economy
The Fall 2012 issue of The Connecticut Economy offers a variety of perspectives on industries and forces that make Connecticut unique. It looks at Connecticut as a home to corporate headquarters and identifies sectors giving Fairfield County a competitive edge in the current recovery. Plus it examines health care trends in Connecticut and beyond. On the back page, Christopher Bruhl of the Business Council of Fairfield County examines the role innovation plays in stimulating the economies of that region and of the state. The issue also forecasts a long road ahead to recover the jobs Connecticut lost in the last recession.
To read the full text of this edition as well as past issues, please visit the Connecticut Economy’s Webpage.
Professor Prakash in the Media
The London School of Economics has cited Professor Prakash‘s paper on education and incentives in Bihar in their blog. The paper, titled “Education Policies and Practices: What Have We Learnt and the Road Ahead for Bihar,” has also been covered by Ideas for India, which Professor Prakash was invited to join earlier this year.
Professor Prakash has also published a non-technical summary of his paper “The Redistributive Effects of Political Reservation for Minorities: Evidence from India” in VOX. VOX is a policy portal that aims to promote research-based policy analysis and commentary by leading scholars.
Professor Nishith Prakash has been invited to Growth Week 2012, a three day conference held by the International Growth Centre at the London School of Economics. Professor Prakash spent time at the IGC this summer as an academic visitor. The conference will be held from September 24-26.
Alumni Association to Host Film Screening
On October 15, 2012, the UConn Alumni Association welcomes Travelers in presenting a film screening and discussion of Overdraft. Overdraft is a documentary sponsored by Travelers focusing on America’s debt crisis.
Registration is recommended for this event, which will be held in the Student Union ballroom followed by a viewing of the film in the theater. There will also be a discussion panel led by UConn faculty following the film.