News and Announcements

Alumna Named Recipient of 2018 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award

Carloyn Wilkins (MA '88) has been selected as a recipient of 2018 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award. This list recognizes the accomplishments of professional women across Canada in order to inspire others. Wilkins is Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada and a member of its governing council. The article on Western alumnae recipients, including Wilkins, can be found at Western News.

Caucutt Examines Employment, Marriage Prospects, and Financial Security

Professor Caucutt's research on examining the growing gap between white and black women regarding marriage in the US is being highlighted by the Faculty of Social Science. Caucutt looks at some of the reasons for the increasing disparity and the potential long-lasting impacts. The article on the working paper, 'Is Marriage for White People? Incarceration, Unemployment, and the Racial Marriage Divide' can be found at Western Social Science News.

Undergraduate Students Win Awards

Aaron Leonard, Sherrie Cheng, and Jake Anderson have been awarded with prestigious scholarships in 2018-2019 for their academic accomplishments. Aaron is in his second year and was awarded the Godsoe Scholar Award and Faculty Association Scholarship. Sherrie is in her third year and was awarded the Walter J. Koenig Scholarship, the Dr. W Glenn Campbell and Dr. Mark K. Inman Scholarship in Economics, and the Elizabeth Sullivan Award in Economics. In his fourth year, Jake was recognized with the Joel Fried Scholarship in Economics and the Dr. W Glenn Campbell and Dr. Mark K. Inman Scholarship in Economics. Congratulations to all of our students on their outstanding achievements!

Alumnus Awarded Highly Commended Status at 2018 UA Awards

Julian Donovan (BA ’18) has been awarded highly commended status in the 2018 Undergraduate Awards Competition for his paper titled "The Impact of Drug and Firm Attributes on Stock Price Movements Around FDA Drug Approval Decisions."  The UA Awards are the world’s leading undergraduate awards program for students. While he was a student, Julian also won the Mark K. Inman Senior Essay Prize for this paper.  Congratulations Julian!

Alumni on Top 75 Economics Influencers to Follow List

David Andolfatto (Ph.D.'94), Vice-President at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and Roger Farmer (Ph.D.'82), Professor at the University of Warwick and Research Director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, were ranked on Focus Economics' Top 75 Influencers to Follow list. This list features academics, journalists, industry professionals, and central bankers who are widely followed on Twitter for sharing their daily thoughts on all things economics, finance, monetary policy and politics. See Focus Economics for the full list.

Economics Alumnus enters the Dragon's Den

Vincenzo Guzzo (BA'91), CEO and president of Guzzo Cinemas, is the newest investor on CBC's "Dragons' Den". "I invest as much in the individual as the product," he said. "I am a believer in the product, but even bigger in the human spirit behind it." We look forward to seeing him on this season of Dragons' Den, which airs Thursday September 20 at 8:00 p.m. See the Montreal Gazette for the full story.

Jim MacGee selected as Bank of Canada's Managing Director, Economic and Financial Research

Congratulations are extended to Associate Professor Jim MacGee, who will be joining the Bank of Canada in January for a two year term as Managing Director, Economic and Financial Research. This role sets and implements the strategic direction of the Bank’s research team, and ensures that the Bank is positioned to make well-informed policy decisions supported by high-quality research. See Western News for the full story. 

Simona Cociuba Interviewed by Media Regarding Research on Demographics and Sectoral Reallocation

Simona Cociuba and James MacGee have authored a study which calculates the cost to the economy of relocating working age Canadians from one industry to another, by incorporating the demographic composition of the labour force given younger workers are more mobile than older workers.  Articles and interviews can be found at the Western News , Global News , and CBC. The study can be accessed at Western Library. 

In Memoriam: Grant L. Reuber

It is with great sadness that Western Economics announces the passing of former Chancellor and Professor of Economics, Dr. Grant Louis Reuber. Under his leadership in 1960s, Western Economics was transformed into a research-intensive department, a legacy that continues to this day. Dr. Reuber was a committed supporter of Western Economics and he will be greatly missed. To read more about Dr. Reuber's life and accomplishments see the Western News.

Audra Bowlus Speaks to the Undervaluation of Women's Impact on the Economy 

A new study, co-authored by Audra Bowlus and Chris Robinson, shows that previous methods economists used to determine human capital have been insufficient, ignoring the advances of women in the workplace and leading to statistical agencies and government bodies significantly undervaluing women's contribution to the economy. See the  Western News for the full story .

25 Year Service Awards

Congratulations are extended to Professors Bowlus, Sicular, and Streufert, who have been recognized for a long time service by Western President Amit Chakma at Gibbons Lodge. Western News .

Economics Ph.D. Student wins GTA Award of Excellence

Congratulations to Cecilia Diaz Campo, who has been awarded the Graduate Student TA Award of Excellence from the Society of Graduate Students. The award recognizes the efforts of extraordinary TAs and is based on student nominations and evaluations. Cecilia is in her second year of the Ph.D. program, and was recognized for her work as the GTA for the first year core econometrics course sequence.

Economics Ph.D. Student wins Social Science Graduate Alumni Award

Phuong Vu has been selected for the Graduate Alumni Award, which recognizes the academic excellence of a graduate student in Social Science as nominated by their department. Congratulations Phuong!

Stephen Williamson Recipient of the 2018 Bank of Canada Fellowship Award

We are proud to announce that the Bank of Canada has selected Stephen Williamson as a recipient of the 2018 Bank of Canada Fellowship Award. Recognized as an international expert in macroeconomics and monetary policy, Williamson holds Western's Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Central Banking. This award recognizes “ his outstanding contributions to research in all four of the Bank's core functions,” says Bank of Canada Governor Stephen S. Poloz (MA '79, PhD '82). “His work is helping to expand knowledge in these fields. Moreover, his commitment to mentoring students and emerging researchers is fostering a new generation of thought leaders in central banking – not just in Canada, but around the world.” See here for the Bank of Canada press release, here for the story in Western News.

MFE Students take the prize at PRMIA Risk Management Challenge

Representing Western University, four MFE students won the Most Strategic Award at the PRMIA Risk Management Challenge. There were 7 teams selected for the regional finals.  They won the Most Strategic Award by using different approach to the analysis, rejecting the standard approach that gave volatile results over the 2008/2009 financial crisis period. We are very proud of their accomplishment – Congratulations! 

Salvador Navarro Selected for Faculty Scholar Award

Salvador Navarro has received the prestigious Faculty Scholar Award, which recognizes scholarly achievements of a faculty member in a critical point in their career who has maintained an excellent record in teaching and research. Congratulations Salvador!

Award-Winning Economics Faculty Recognized on Honor Roll

Minku Kang, David Rivers and Terry Sicular have been recognized on the 2016-2017 University of Western Ontario’s Award of Excellence on Undergraduate Teaching Honor Roll. This Award recognizes and celebrates excellence in undergraduate teaching, and the department is proud to share this news about our wonderful faculty here in Economics  

The Value of Bitcoin

Do Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies play a useful social role or do they represent a social waste? Stephen Williamson, the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Central Banking, answers this question in a commentary (see here) for the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.  

In Memoriam: Ronald Wonnacott

It is with great sadness that Western Economics announces the passing of Professor Emeritus Ron Wonnacott, often called the 'Father of Free Trade.' Ron was a graduate of Western and served as a faculty member from 1958 until he retired in 1996. Following his retirement, Ron remained a loyal supporter of the Department and a regular visitor at weekly coffee. He will be greatly missed. To read more about Ron's life and accomplishments see the Globe and Mail.  

Audra Bowlus Defends Economics

With DSGE models in Economics under attack after the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Gazette interviewed Audra Bowlus to get her views on the value of DSGE models and an Economics degree in general. See the Western Gazette for the full story. 

Audra Bowlus on Canada's Record-Low Unemployment Rates

Audra Bowlus, whose research interests include labour economics, was interviewed by Jessica Vomiero of Global News for an article published January 5, 2018 regarding Canada’s record-low unemployment rates. Bowlus commented on each province and the factors involved in their increased employment rates. See Global News for the full story.