Today marked the first day of this year’s American Economic Association (AEA) Annual Meeting. The AEA Meeting is an annual event that brings together some of the superstars of economics in one of the largest economics-focused gatherings in the world. Every year, upwards of 10,000 academics come together for discussions, presentations, and – equally important! - socialising, over a long weekend.

Unemployment For College Majors

A big part of ASSA Annual Meeting (check out our post on 2012 ASSA Annual Meeting held in Chicago) is the role that it plays in the life of a PhD economist searching for their first job. Although some graduates choose less conventional ways of approaching the Job Market, for most graduating PhDs, the meeting is where they meet with potential employers, strut their stuff, present their Job Market Papers (JMP) and hope to the high heavens for a fly-out, and, after that, an offer – preferably at their number one choice. If all goes well this process should be over by early March with a good majority of top 50 schools’ graduates having at least one job offer on the table.

The world of academia is constantly changing, so much so that the importance to Professors, of different academic and career achievements, is shifting in ways that may be somewhat unexpected.

Many believe that once one decides to follow an academic career path there is no way out. Working at a university is not only said to bring you respect and stability, but also a gradually increasing income. How high the latter might get obviously depends on many factors, such as your qualifications and the institution you graduated from, as well as the country where you are teaching.

We are sad to share the loss of a great economist yesterday. Robert Fogel, Nobel Laureate (1993, with Douglass North) passed away yesterday at the age of 86. He was a Professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Founding Director of the Center for Population Economics.

Yesterday INOMICS released the Economics Job Market Report 2013 (Worldwide Overview). The report contains insights about the academic job market, compiled from answers from almost 2,500 economists and recruiters from all over the world who completed a survey earlier this year. The findings of the report include salaries, recruiters’ and candidates’ employment preferences, regional disparities, skills & specializations most in demand and other general trends in the economics job market.

A few weeks ago I came across an interview on TechCrunch with Brian Kibby, the president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, discussing his positive outlook on the future of e-books, e-content and generally the future of what he calls ‘super adaptive learning.’ Contrary to what one might expect from a textbook publisher, Kibby explains in the interview that he expects to see a significant increase in the adoption of e-materials within the next year and full adoption within three years. Optimistic?

Every year, Max Bazerman, a Harvard Business School professor runs the exact same experiment with his students. In short form, he auctions off a $20 bill but places strict rules on how the betting can take place regulating who pays, and who wins.