Being (or becoming!) an economist probably seems like a good idea. After all, you’re reading the INOMICS Blog! Beyond reading relevant advice and interesting articles, it can be helpful to have real data to answer questions about the job market for economists.

International cooperation is important for economic growth, because it allows societies to grow more than they could on their own. When countries specialize in the economic areas they are relatively more productive in (utilizing their comparative advantages) and trade with other nations, everyone is made better off.

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.

Professor Marcel Fratzscher, esteemed macroeconomist and president of the DIW Berlin, once again asks questions about economics and life in general to a peer in the field. This time, he has the pleasure of being joined by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Jesse Wursten, who generously agreed to take the hot seat in this exchange. Thus, the back-and-forth has been dubbed Fratzscher vs. Wursten, as is tradition. What follows is a conversation that offers insight into some of the challenges of balancing family with an economics career, the usefulness of economists when it comes to analyzing policy externalities, and more.

For decades, the U.S. dollar has reigned supreme as the world's primary reserve currency. Its dominance can be attributed to several factors, including the size and stability of the U.S. economy, the political influence of the United States, and the widespread acceptance of the dollar in international trade and finance. The dollar's status as the de facto global currency has significant implications for the functioning of the global financial system.

Artificial intelligence tools are becoming more and more ubiquitous with each passing week. The development of ChatGPT-3.5 in particular launched conversations about the capabilities of AI into the mainstream. Since then, news stories and speculation about AI supplanting (and sometimes replacing) human workers continue to be released. The economics of AI is, as a result, becoming an important topic in our field.

The Graduate Record Examinations, more commonly known as the GRE, is one of the most important standardized tests in the world for admission to post-Baccalaureate programs. It’s very often required by universities when considering admission into their Master’s or even PhD programs.

Islands bring to mind a particular vision of beaches, coconuts, and relaxation that’s hard to beat. Many people think of them as the ultimate vacation destination, and indeed tourism is important for many islands. Yet due to their unique geography, most islands in the world face a set of economic challenges that many mainland nations don’t experience.

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.

One of the key features of the global economy is that it tends to grow over time. In fact, that growth has become something of an expectation in the modern capitalist system, where the success of corporations is often judged by their growth, even over relatively short time horizons.

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.

In a world where we are constantly told to hustle, grind, and push ourselves to the limit, the idea of taking it easy can seem counterintuitive. However, there is a growing movement suggesting that doing only what’s necessary at work is the best thing we can do for ourselves and for the economy. This is known as the concept of "quiet quitting".

Artificial intelligence appears to be the next truly disruptive technology poised to rock our global economy. In December 2022, ChatGPT-3 made headlines. It represented a leap forward in the capabilities of generative AI technology, pushing conversations about this new tool into the mainstream as people began to question how ChatGPT will affect the economy.

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 the INOMICS interview series, Prof. Dr. Marcel Fratzscher asks economists questions about their field, their opinions on economics, some of their favorite things, and more. Today we took the chance to interview Dr. Jan Ditzen, an econometrician with a robust research presence. The interview, named Fratzscher vs. Ditzen (as is tradition), enlightens us on the contributions of Hashem Pesaran, the beauty of mountain scenery, details about econometrics and why its rigor is important for economics, and more.

In recent times, debates on gender inequality among researchers at universities have emerged, in particular in economics. Even though leading academic societies have addressed these issues already for many years – for example, the American Economic Association has run the “Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession” (CSWEP) since 1971, and the European Economic Association established its “Standing Committee on Women in Economics” (WinE) in 2003 – they appear to be persistent.

In this article, INOMICS interviews Dr. Richard S.J. Tol, member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) when it was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and a researcher at the forefront of economics and climate policy. Dubbed Fratzscher vs. Tol as Prof. Dr. Marcel Fratzscher resumed his role as interviewer, the conversation touches on gender discrimination in economics, the increasing availability of historical data, and how climate policy can clash with economic research.

Star Wars probably needs no introduction here. One of the largest entertainment properties of all time, it has grown far beyond its (humble?) beginnings on the movie screen. Now, we can learn about “a galaxy far, far away” through books, comics, TV series, video games, and more.

In this series of articles, INOMICS will highlight the accomplishments of particular economists who have contributed greatly to the field. Students often learn about the great figures in economics only briefly and in passing, but the content taught in economics courses comes from brilliant economists such as these.

So, the economy is in crisis. Well, when is it not? The global economy is becoming like that one histrionic person that is always miserable, in shambles and crying for attention.

We have previously written about the gender pay gap and the leaky pipeline in economics. This article highlights other gender-related issues within the field, particularly around gender-based harassment and discrimination in economics.

The outbreak of COVID-19 created a worldwide recession, and many people experienced reduced work hours or unemployment because of it. Economists were not immune from this. In early 2021, INOMICS reported that one third of economists (especially those in the Global South) faced negative impacts on their careers due to the pandemic. Most affected were economists working in the private sector, though economists in the academic sector faced other issues.

Economics touches every aspect of our lives, whether we know it or not. Game theory, statistics and econometrics, politics, government policy, and of course finance are all aspects of economics that affect our daily lives.

The 2022 INOMICS Salary Report allowed us to examine the field of economics across employer types, job positions, and regions. This article continues with our look at gender (in)equality in economics by examining the glass ceiling. Below, we examine this effect in academia (economists employed by universities) and industry (other employer types).

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.