Research
The Economics Department is ranked highly in research productivity. According to RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) UCSC is ranked in the top 20 in several different research areas among academic institutions in the world. Seven of the roughly 20 faculty members of the Economics Department are listed by RePEc as among the top 5% of all economists in the world based on research productivity.
The department’s research excellence is focused in three broadly overlapping areas and six specific fields: (1) international economics (international finance, international trade and development), (2) macroeconomics (macro/monetary and international finance), and (3) empirical microeconomics (public/labor economics, experimental/behavioral economics, international trade, and micro development). These areas remain central to the department’s strategic vision and form the base for our Ph.D. program. Unifying all of the research fields and Ph.D. training is the emphasis on the use of cutting-edge empirical methodology beyond just econometrics. This includes the common use of randomized control experiments, lab experiments, quasi-experimental approaches, computational and simulation methods, big data techniques, and new and innovative administrative data in our research.
Imaginative use of these empirical methodologies and theoretical research have allowed faculty to provide convincing evidence on issues of critical policy relevance and societal importance. For example, UCSC economists are conducting research on the impact of IMF programs on developing economies, understanding the consequences of exchange rate and financial crises, evaluating the effectiveness of monetary policy when interest rates are at zero, determining the role the unemployment rate should play in the design of central bank policies, the effects of health insurance coverage on the usage of medical services, the impact of minority instructors on minority student outcomes in community colleges, and policies to promote saving in small villages in Africa. As testament to the impact of this research, faculty in the department, for example, have been called upon to testify in front of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and California State Legislature, serve on the Council of Economic Advisors, and consult for numerous federal government agencies, central banks, and international foundations.
Two research centers are located in the department:
