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.

Economics is a massive field with many sub-disciplines, and it’s impossible to master the whole lot of it from just one Master’s degree or even a PhD.

As you develop your career in higher education economics, you will likely be carrying out research within a field in economics. But you will also likely be involved in delivering and developing teaching within your department. As a result, you may be interested in developing and disseminating an understanding of what students should learn and how they learn.

Real-world data in their varied forms are the authentic artifacts through which we observe economic phenomena. Such data can be used in economics courses as part of learning and assessment activities to help students construct economic meaning and develop important employment skills in organizing, interpreting and presenting quantitative data.

Economics is a popular major in the US, but relatively few women and historically underrepresented minority students choose it as their field of study. This reality is reflected in stagnant US graduation trends; women earn approximately 30% of bachelor’s degrees in economics, and Black, Hispanic, and Native American students earn less than 15%.

The following article first appeared in the INOMICS Handbook 2023. Download the INOMICS Handbook

Economics can be used to study almost anything, including popular music. For example, the late Alan Krueger analyzed the music industry, examining live concert revenue, copyright protection, and streaming services in the book Rockonomics. Similarly, economics can offer insights about heavy metal specifically, a type of rock music characterized by loud distorted guitars, intense rhythms, and powerful vocal styles.

As an academic economist, it is likely that you will be engaged in both research and teaching. As you develop your skills, it will be important to think about what makes good teaching, and how the discussion about pedagogy in economics education develops over time. Knowledge and appreciation of the debates in pedagogy may also be important as you apply for external certification, such as an Advance HE fellowship. You may even want to develop and write for publication about economics pedagogy. There are a range of journals and conferences for those interested in higher education pedagogy. 

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.

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.

Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a new economics student, it pays to know which journals are the most prestigious and well-known for certain topics. They can help you find the right papers for a literature review, stay on top of the latest research in the field, and even help you set your own publishing goals.

Now in their sixth year, the INOMICS Awards remain unique in their celebration of institutions committed to the career development of economists worldwide.

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.

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.