Career: Liberal Arts Colleges
Casey Rothschild, Assistant Professor
| Jan/22 | Wed | 01:00PM-02:30PM | E17-136 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none
Prof. Rothschild will discuss how careers at liberal arts colleges differ from careers at research universities.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Careers: Faculty Positions for Economists in Business Schools
Robert Gibbons, Roberto Rigobon
| Jan/27 | Mon | 01:00PM-02:30PM | E17-136 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This session will discuss how several kinds of economists (in fields such as IO, applied micro, applied theory, macro, and international) have found productive professorial careers in several kinds of faculty groups (including economics, strategy, political economy, and international management) within several kinds of business schools (from Chicago to HBS, and many in between). Of course, a professorial career includes both research and teaching, so we will discuss how both may be somewhat different than in an economics department, but also how in many business schools the differences compared to a department are greater in terms of teaching than research.
Sponsor(s): Economics, Academic Media Production Services
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Financial Crises and Amplification Mechanisms
Alp Simsek, Assistant Professor of Economics
| Jan/21 | Tue | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E17-133 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This talk describes some of the mechanisms by which problems in the financial sector can lead to economic crises and recessions, with examples from the recent crises in the US and the Euro zone.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Game Theory and Its Business Application
Muhamet Yildiz, Professor of Economics
| Jan/14 | Tue | 02:30PM-04:00PM | 66-168 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This lecture is a discussion of what Game Theory is and how it applies to business.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
How Large are the Gains from Trade?
Dave Donaldson, Associate Professor of Economics
| Jan/10 | Fri | 04:00PM-05:00PM | E17-136 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This lecture will begin by reviewing recent work in Economics that aims
to estimate the magnitude of the gains from trade, both between and
within countries. We will then turn to recent evidence (from Costinot
and Donaldson, 2012) that uses agronomic data to provide new estimates
of these gains in the context of US agricultural growth from 1880-2002.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Monetary Policy at Zero Interest Rates: Understanding Recent Federal Reserve Actions
Ivan Werning, Professor
| Jan/24 | Fri | 01:00PM-02:30PM | E17-136 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
The US economy is a Liquidity Trap. The 2007-8 crisis in the U.S. led to a steep recession, followed by aggressive policy responses. Monetary policy went full tilt, cutting interest rates rapidly to zero, where they have remained since the end of 2008. Unconventional monetary policies were also pursued, starting with “quantitative easing”, purchases of long-term bonds and other assets. In August 2011, the Federal Reserve’s FOMC statement signaled the intent to keep interest rates at zero until at least mid 2013. These statements have been subsequently renewed and extended.
This talk uses recent research to shed light on the inherent policy challenges of such liquidity trap scenarios. Using a simple macroeconomic model of the economy we will characterize optimal monetary policy responses employing optimal control techniques. The model highlights the importance of communication and commitment, with optimal policies requiring "forward guidance" to maintaing future interest rates at zero.
The results provide insight into current debates and policy decisions regarding monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Obamacare: Past, Present, and Future
Jonathan Gruber, Professor
| Jan/09 | Thu | 01:00PM-02:30PM | 6-120 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This lecture will describe the development of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. It will explain how the law functions and its prospects for the future.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
Stand and Deliver: The Effect of Boston's Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice
Josh Angrist, Professor
| Jan/15 | Wed | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E17-136 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Boston's charter high schools have shown themselves to be adept at boosting MCAS scores, the state-mandated assessments used to decide which schools are successful. Have these MCAS gains translated into gains in the outcomes, such as college attendance, that students themselves care about? We use charter school admissions lotteries to answer this question, with some surprising results. Come learn how MIT's School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative approaches such questions, and how our econometric work has affected social policy in Boston and elsewhere.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
The Housing Recovery is Here! Should You Buy a House?
William Wheaton, Director, Centre for Real Estate
| Jan/31 | Fri | 10:30AM-12:00PM | E25-111 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Housing seems to have begun a price/construction recovery. This session will focus on recent research trying to ascertain which markets will recover the most, and how this recovery will position prices relative to 2007 peak values. This analysis takes account of historical statistical analysis as well as several alternative benchmarks useful in ascertaining price movements. In the end the question to be answered is whether this year (or last) is an opportune time to purchase a house.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
What Do Economists Do?
Abhijit Banerjee, Professor of Economcis
| Jan/06 | Mon | 02:30PM-04:00PM | E17-122 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This talk is about who economists are and what they do.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
What's Special About Banks? Lessons from the Financial Crisis
Bengt Holmstrom, Professor of Economics
| Jan/24 | Fri | 01:00PM-02:30PM | E17-122 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Banks have come under heavy criticism in the wake of the financial crisis. We will make the case that much of the criticism, while understandable, is misguided. We need a better foundation for understanding the unique and changing role banking plays in the economy.
This talk is mainly intended for a non-expert audience.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR@MIT.EDU
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