News and Announcements

Economics Professor Emeritus Featured in The Conversation and The London Free Press

Economics Professor Emeritus, James Davies,  discusses the effects of income inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Davies demonstrates supporting statistics as well as his own study conducted at Western University. 
To read the full article, visit The Conversation and The London Free Press

Economics Alumnus Shares Western's Impact on Career

Economics alumnus and Bank of Canada Governer, Tiff Macklem,  discusses ways in which Western University  helped shape his career as a banker, advisor, policy-maker and educator. Macklem names Western Economics faculty as, " an enduring inspiration and influence." To read the full article, visit Western Alumni Gazette.

Economics Professor Emeritus Featured in Financial Post 

Economics Professor Emeritus David Laidler was a featured author in a Financial Post opinion piece. Laidler speaks on the Bank of Canada’s latest predicament in regards to the economy’s return to normalcy and its promised inflation range. To read Professor Laidler’s full article, visit Financial Post. 

Economics Professor Featured on Live Radio

Economics Professor Stephen Williamson was featured on CBC Live Radio to discuss the idea of a trillion dollar coin as a solution to the debt ceiling debate in the United States and why it is unlikely to happen.
For the full interview, visit CBC News. 

Economics Welcomes Incoming Assistant Professor

The Department of Economics welcomes Assistant Professor Lisa Tarquinio. Tarquinio researches development economics, drawing in information and research related to climate change, political economy, and migration. To read more on Economics' latest member, visit Western Social Science News

Economics Alumna Earns Valedictorian

The Department of Economics would like to congratulate recent alumna, Talissa Aphia Watson (class of 2018-2019) on her academic success.  Upon completing her Masters of Science degree in Business Analytics at the Ivey Business School, she was named class valedictorian for the MSc class of 2021. To read more, visit Ivey News.

Economics Undergraduate Students Win Honourable Awards

Congratulations to our gold medalists for 2020-2021: Michael Quan Chow (4-Year BA Specialization), Lauren Ruffo-Caracchini (Honors Double Major in Political Science and Financial Economics), Ye Rao (Honors Double Major in Accounting and Economics), Kyle Boutilier (Honors Specialization in Global Economics), and Aaron Leonard (Honors Specialization in Economics and the Chancellors Prize in an Honors BA from the Faculty of Social Sciences). 

Further congratulations are extended again to Aaron Leonard as he is this year’s recipient of Governor General’s Silver Medal! This honour is awarded to the undergraduate who achieves the highest academic standing upon graduation from a bachelor degree program throughout Western University. 

Economics Undergraduate Students Selected to Present at CEA Awards

Congratulations are extended to Economics undergraduate students, Aaron Leonard, Kyle Boutilier, Nalinda Murray and Jackson Montelpare. The four students were selected to present at the esteemed Canadian Economic Association and Bank of Canada Undergraduate Student Awards. Leonard and Boutilier will present their 4400 undergraduate thesis, “The Impact of Mask Mandates on the Trade-Off Between GDP and COVID-19 Mortality” and Murray and Montelpare will present “The Direct and Indirect Effects of Cohabitation on Children's Human Capital Development”. For more information on the CEA - Bank of Canada Awards and our students, please visit the Canadian Economics Association.

Economics Emeritus Featured for Identifying Inflation Repeating History

Professor Emeritus, David Laidler was featured in a CBC News article for identifying the similarities between the U.S.’s current inflation and the unexpected 1960s rise in prices. Laidler witnessed, as an early expert, price rises consume the value of money, and now nearly 50 years later, discusses how history is repeating itself. The full article “Jump in U.S. inflation may signal that history is repeating itself” can be found at CBC News.

2020-2021 Economics Teaching Award Winners 

Congratulations are extended to this year’s teaching award recipients. Charles Zheng was voted Graduate Professor of the Year by the Economics graduate students. Iftekher Hossain was voted Undergraduate Professor of the Year by the Economics undergraduate students. Duhyeong Kim was voted the Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year and Evan Sauve is the recipient of the Tutorial Leader of the Year award.

Economics Emeritus Featured for Global Study on Mortality and COVID

Professor Emeritus, Jim Davies was featured for a recent study regarding the importance of income inequality and the subsequent health impacts. Unlike other research during this time, Davies’ has shown that, across countries, income inequality — and not poverty — is associated with higher death rates in relation to COVID-19. To read more about the study published in the latest issue of CEPR COVID Economics, see the Western News.

Economics Assistant Professor Wins Netspar PhD Thesis Prize

Economics Assistant Professor, Rory McGee recently won the Netspar PhD Thesis prize for his technically impressive research into the saving behavior of the elderly. In the thesis, McGee studies the microeconomics of
household savings decisions and intergenerational transfers. The jury mentions the high degree of relevancy and the challenge of unravelling such a topic. The full article on McGee's thesis, "Essays on Saving and Intergenerational Transfers over the Life-Cycle" can be found at Netspar. To read more, including McGee's interview on winning the Netspar PhD Thesis prize, visit the Social Science News.