A PhD is a life choice. One of the crucial factors that a potential graduate student should account for is that doing a PhD in the US can be a completely different experience from doing a PhD in Italy, Germany, or elsewhere in Europe.

Students often learn about important figures in economics only briefly and in passing, yet the content taught in economics courses often comes from brilliant economists such as these.

In late 2022, the field of economics came under additional scrutiny for its unequal treatment of women. This article will examine the relative share of women in the field of economics, complementing the analysis of our survey data in the INOMICS Salary Report. This is helpful context for other discussions of gender discrimination in economics, as many statistics can be better understood after learning about the distribution of men and women in economics.

You know that there are a ton of career prospects open to someone who has studied economics, spanning from academia and the finance industry, all the way to management consulting. A big advantage of studying economics is that it gives you a skill set which is applicable and transferrable to many different fields. One particular area of work open to economists is the non-profit sector. Many are drawn to this sector for social reasons; the desire to make a positive impact on the world. It is a highly admirable area to work in, and something that we at INOMICS massively endorse! So, what kind of non-profit jobs are actually available to economists? Here are our suggestions that may be applicable to you.

Situated in the oldest city of the Netherlands, Nijmegen, Radboud University has firmly established itself as one of the country’s most reputable institutions of higher education. Offering programmes across the academic spectrum, its MSc in Economics, in particular, is attracting students from all over the world.

So, you’re studying for your economics degree in the United States of America. It's going well, and you’re enjoying life in the USA, so much that you’re thinking about staying longer and looking for a job in the US.

When discussing jobs in the government, the type of work that comes to mind is most likely influenced by your particular background. In countries in which large segments of the economy are nationalized, it’s possible to become a civil servant in nearly any field. In other places, your options might be more limited.

When you begin studying for an MBA, you may have the chance to choose a concentration – that is, a specialisation in which you focus on a particular area of business to study in-depth. Students with an economics graduate degree who are starting an MBA program are especially likely to be tempted towards a concentration option, with the perspective gained from an economics program offering an advantage in career paths like consulting, finance or information systems. It is particularly common in the USA for MBA students to have the chance to choose a concentration before they begin their course, similar to how other students would choose a major. If you are given this chance, should you choose a concentration? Here are the pros and cons of specialising during your MBA. 

The US economy is improving, so we are told. With the financial crash receding into the distance, almost out of sight, things are looking up, the future is finally brightening. Unemployment reached a 50-year low in 2019, falling to 3.5%, while US employers have added almost 5 million jobs in just two years. These are ‘the best economic numbers our country has ever experienced’, the President declared at Davos, with characteristic humility. And bombast aside, his sentiment is not without foundation, the US economy is posting some good numbers. In addition to jobs, GDP has been growing at close to 3 percent annually, and the Dow Jones has increased by 49% is the last 3 years - all of which is great election fodder for the coming campaign. Democrats should be wary.

So, you studied abroad, got your economics degree in Germany, and you’re ready to look for a job in the country. First of all, congratulations! You’re on your way to becoming a full-fledged economist.

Online learning is not a novelty anymore. During the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown, many institutions were forced to invest in their online program offerings - or simply adjust their courses to be online-friendly. But sometimes it’s nice to learn without having to fully commit to a long program. Other times, learning from a different source can help new concepts make sense, or can refresh the memory.

The following article first appeared in the INOMICS Handbook 2022. Download the INOMICS Handbook While every generation claims its problems are the most formidable and pressing in the annals of humankind, our generation certainly has a strong case: a global pandemic that has already taken five million lives, and a world seemingly headed toward catastrophe, unable to keep global temperatures from rising and thus contain climate change.

Learning shouldn't only be something which you do in school and university – in order to maximize your personal development and career prospects in economics, further education is always valuable online and in-person.

That the world of work has radically changed we know, we see it before our eyes: kitchens have replaced offices; pajamas, suits; and housemates often now fill the space previously occupied by colleagues. But how have these changes - and others - been felt by economists around the world? Through a textual analysis undertaken in the INOMICS Salary Survey, we answer that question and, in doing so, paint an anecdotal picture of economists’ COVID experience.

Before you start considering what crazy lucrative job you are going to get with your economics degree, consider this fact: a lot of rich people don’t like their money. Many complain about not knowing what to do with it all, yet simultaneously having huge anxiety they’ll lose it. They moan about their friends treating them like walking bank accounts, being judged for not looking the part, and no longer being able to visit - how to put it delicately? - less refined establishments. Many work like dogs in jobs they don’t find fulfilling to top up the coffers, only to realise they never have any time to have fun with it. And all jokes aside, some studies suggest that, while earning more money than the national average does improve life satisfaction, once you get past a certain salary threshold, money stops making you any happier. (Depending on where you live, this is around $100,000.)

The following article first appeared in the INOMICS Handbook 2023. Download the INOMICS Handbook President of the DIW Berlin and well-known macroeconomist, Prof. Dr. Marcel Fratzscher poses the questions for accomplished central banker and author Dr. Javier G. Gómez Pineda in this latest INOMICS interview, where we ask economists for their thoughts about life and economics. Dr. Gómez Pineda graciously took to the spotlight in this latest round. The interview, dubbed Fratzscher vs. Gómez Pineda, dives into the importance of the Lucas critique, role models for women in economics, the challenges with maintaining global financial market stability (while still allowing for growth for emerging economies), how economics can contribute to climate policy, and more.

The increasing importance of evidencing teaching effectiveness In recent years, the UK higher education environment has noticeably changed. Research Assessment Exercises and then the Research Excellence Framework have highlighted the importance of academics not only being research- active but regularly publishing high quality outputs in internationally recognised academic journals.

A business degree can be a great investment with fantastic future career options. When supported with a solid understanding of economics, in the job market you'll find that you are an attractive candidate to a whole host of different employers. However, if you're thinking about taking a business economics degree, or are just about to graduate, you might wonder what exact career options are open to you. Here are five of the top career paths.

INOMICS has had the opportunity to interview several international students and learn about their experiences studying abroad. For this article, we interviewed Alexis. She's from the US-Midwest and moved to Germany in February 2020. She is currently finishing up her Master’s program in business administration at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and will then be looking for a job to stay in the country. Below we’ll share her advice for other international students, experiences about studying in Germany, and more! If you’re from the US - or anywhere else - and curious what it’s like to study in Europe, read on.