columbia university phd economics

Economics and Education PhD

Doctor of philosophy in economics and education.

Admissions Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2024, Summer 2024, and Fall 2024 terms.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Points/Credits: 75
• Entry Terms: Fall

Application Deadlines

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines , such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

Additional degree information.

Program Guide

Doctoral Program Worksheet

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2023-2024)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 terms.

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This 75-point degree program is intended for individuals who want to acquire advanced training in the theory, methods, and practices in the economics of education. It is a highly selective program to prepare individuals for leadership roles in teaching, research, or administrative settings.

The coursework for this program consists of three parts: core courses, courses in research methods, and courses in a specialized area of study, such as higher education, early childhood education, field experimentation, or a regional focus. Students work on their dissertation under the guidance of faculty advisors within the program; additional members of the dissertation committee may be drawn from other TC Departments, and at least one committee member must be from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. All degrees are conferred by Columbia University. https://www.tc.columbia.edu/education-policy-and- social-analysis/economics-and-education/degrees/doctor-of-philosophy- in-economics-and-education-econ/

Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly selective. All applications to enter the program are evaluated on an individual and holistic basis. However, the curriculum of the degree program assumes that students have some previous coursework in economics and statistics, possess intellectual maturity, and demonstrate an interest in education policy and practice. Compelling applications for admission demonstrate the applicant’s capacity for success and also clearly explain how the Economics and Education curriculum fits with the applicant’s past experiences and future goals.

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Program Director : Professor Alex Eble

Teachers College, Columbia University 212 Zankel, Suite B

Contact Person: Katherine Y. Chung, Program Manager

Phone: (212) 678-3677 Fax: (212) 678-3677

Email: kc2610@tc.columbia.edu

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Economics - Philosophy

Departmental Office: 1022 International Affairs Building; 212-854-3680 http://www.columbia.edu/cu/economics/

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Dr. Susan Elmes, 1006 International Affairs Building; 212-854-9124; [email protected]

Director of Departmental Honors Program: Dr. Susan Elmes, 1006 International Affairs Building; 212-854-9124; [email protected]

Economics is the study of the ways in which society allocates its scarce resources among alternative uses and the consequences of these decisions. The areas of inquiry deal with a varied range of topics such as international trade, domestic and international financial systems, labor market analysis, and the study of less developed economies. Broadly speaking, the goal of an economics major is to train students to think analytically about social issues and, as such, provide a solid foundation for not only further study and careers in economics, but also for careers in law, public service, business, and related fields.

The Economics Department offers a general economics major in addition to five interdisciplinary majors structured to suit the interests and professional goals of a heterogeneous student body. All of these programs have different specific requirements but share the common structure of core theoretical courses that provide the foundation for higher-level elective courses culminating in a senior seminar. Students are urged to carefully look through the details of each of these programs and to contact an appropriate departmental adviser to discuss their particular interests.

Advanced Placement

Tests must be taken in both microeconomics and macroeconomics, with a score of 5 on one test and at least a 4 on the other. Provided that this is achieved, the department grants 4 credits for a score of 4 and 5 on the AP Economics exam along with exemption from ECON UN1105 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS .

The Department of Economics offers a variety of advising resources to provide prospective and current undergraduate majors and concentrators with the information and support needed to successfully navigate through the program. These resources are described below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see: http://econ.columbia.edu/frequently-asked-questions-0

As a first step, students are encouraged to visit the department's FAQ page, which provides comprehensive information and answers to the most frequently asked questions about the departmental majors and requirements. This page also includes a section that answers specific questions of first-years, sophomores, and non-majors.

Graduate Student Advisers

For answers to the most common questions that students have about the majors, the department has graduate student advisers, who are available by e-mail at [email protected] , or during weekly office hours to meet with students.

Students should direct all questions and concerns about their major to the graduate student advisers either in person or via e-mail. The graduate student advisers can discuss major requirements, scheduling, and major course selection, as well as review student checklists and discuss progress in the major. Occasionally, graduate student advisers may refer a student to someone else in the department (such as the director of undergraduate studies) or in the student's school for additional advising.

Contact information and office hours for the graduate student advisers are posted on the Advisers page of the departmental website in the week prior to the beginning of the semester. Students considering one of the interdepartmental majors should speak to both a graduate student adviser from the Economics Department and the adviser from the other department early in the sophomore year.

Faculty Advisers

Faculty advisers are available to discuss students' academic and career goals, both in terms of the undergraduate career and post-graduate degrees and research. Students wishing to discuss these types of substantive topics may request a faculty adviser by completing the form available on the Advisers page of the departmental website and depositing it in the mailbox of the director of undergraduate studies in 1122 International Affairs Building.

The department does its best to match students with faculty members that share similar academic interests. While faculty advisers do not discuss major requirements—that is the role of the graduate student advisers—they do provide guidance in course selection as it relates to meeting a student's intellectual goals and interests, as well as advise on career and research options. It is recommended that students who plan on attending a Ph.D. program in economics or are interested in pursuing economics research after graduation request a faculty adviser.

On-Line Information

Students can access useful information on-line, including: a comprehensive FAQ page; requirement changes to the major and concentration; sample programs and checklists; faculty office hours, contact information and fields of specialization; adviser information; teaching assistant information; research assistant opportunities; list of tutors; and Columbia-Barnard Economics Society information.

Departmental Honors

Economics majors and economics joint majors who wish to be considered for departmental honors in economics must:

• Have at least a 3.7 GPA in their major courses;
• Take ECON GU4999 SENIOR HONORS THESIS WORKSHOP (a one-year course);
• Receive at least a grade of A- in ECON GU4999 SENIOR HONORS THESIS WORKSHOP .

Students must consult and obtain the approval of the departmental undergraduate director in order to be admitted to the workshop. Please note that ECON GU4999 SENIOR HONORS THESIS WORKSHOP may be taken to fulfill the seminar requirement for the economics major and all economics joint majors. Students who wish to write a senior thesis ( ECON GU4999 SENIOR HONORS THESIS WORKSHOP ) must have completed the core major requirements . Normally no more than 10% of graduating majors receive departmental honors in a given academic year. Please see the Honors Prizes page on the department's website for more information.

Undergraduate Prizes

All prize recipients are announced at the end of the spring semester each academic year.

Sanford S. Parker Prize

Established in 1980, this prize is awarded annually to a Columbia College graduating student who majored or concentrated in economics and plans on continuing his or her studies in an economics Ph.D. program within the two years following his or her graduation.

The Dean’s Prize in Economics

Awarded to General Studies students for excellence in the study of Economics.

Romine Prize

Established in 1997, this prize is awarded annually to two students (Columbia College or General Studies) majoring in economics: one for the best honors thesis paper, and the other for the best economics seminar paper.

Parker Prize for Summer Research

The department provides financial support for five Columbia College underclassmen who take unpaid summer internships that focus on research.

• Douglas Almond (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Jagdish N. Bhagwati
• Sandra Black (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Alessandra Casella (also Political Science Department)
• Yeon-Koo Che
• Pierre-André Chiappori
• Graciela Chichilnisky
• Richard Clarida (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Donald Davis
• Prajit Dutta
• Gautaum Gowrisankaran
• Harrison Hong
• R. Glenn Hubbard (also Business School)
• Navin Kartik
• Wojciech Kopczuk (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Sokbae (Simon) Lee
• Qingmin Liu
• Suresh Naidu (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Brendan O'Flaherty
• Andrea Prat (also Business School)
• Jeffrey Sachs (also Earth Institute, School of International and Public Affairs, Dept of Health Policy and Management)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
• Xavier Sala-i-Martin
• Bernard Salanié
• José A. Scheinkman
• Stephanie Schmitt-Grohé
• Joseph Stiglitz (also Business School, School of International and Public Affairs)
• Martín Uribe
• Miguel Urquiola (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• Eric Verhoogen (also School of International and Public Affairs) Ebonya Washington (also School of International and Public Affairs)
• David Weinstein
• Michael Woodford (Chair)

Associate Professors

• Lena Edlund
• Jennifer La'O

Assistant Professors

• Hassan Afrouzi
• Michael Best
• Matthieu Gomez
• Emilien Gouin-Bonenfant
• Elliot Lipnowski
• Neomie Pinardon-Touati
• Evan Sadler
• Pietro Tebaldi
• Jack Willis
• Irasema Alonso
• Isaac Bjorke
• Tri Vi Dang
• Susan Elmes
• Seyhan Erden
• Tamrat Gashaw
• Sunil Gulati
• Waseem Noor

Adjunct Faculty

• Qi Ge Claudia Halbac Karla Hoff
• Caterina Musatti
• Prof. Willis ( 2023-2024 )
• Profs. Che, Gouin-Bonenfant, Hong, Lipnowski, Sadler, Washongton Fall 2023 )
• Profs. Casella, Schmitt-Grohe ( Spring 2024)

Guidelines for all Economics Majors, Concentrators, and Interdepartmental Majors

Checklists and requirement.

Checklists and Requirement information are available on the Department website .

Course List

Economics core courses.

All of the core courses must be completed no later than the spring semester of the student’s junior year and must be taken at Columbia. Students who take any core course during the fall semester of their senior year must obtain written permission from the department's director of undergraduate studies.  Unless otherwise specified below, all students must complete the following core courses:

Prerequisites

Course prerequisites are strictly enforced. Prerequisites must be taken before the course, not after or concurrently.

Economics courses taken before the completion of any of its prerequisites, even with instructor approval, are not counted toward the major, concentration, or interdepartmental majors. Exemptions from a prerequisite requirement may only be made, in writing, by the department's director of undergraduate studies. Credits from a course taken prior to the completion of its prerequisites are not counted towards the major requirements. As a consequence, students are required to complete additional , specific courses in economics at the direction of the director of undergraduate studies.

The prerequisites for required courses are as follows:

It is strongly recommended that students take ECON UN3412 INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS  in the semester immediately following the completion of the statistics course.

No course with a grade of D or lower, including calculus and statistics courses, can count toward the major, concentration, or interdepartmental majors. Economics core courses with a grade of D or F must be retaken and completed with a grade of C- or better.

Students who receive a grade of D or F in a core course are permitted to take a higher-level elective course that has that core course as a prerequisite, so long as it is taken concurrently with the retaking of that core course. For example, if a student fails ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS , the student must retake it and, in the same semester, may enroll in an elective course for which it is a prerequisite, provided that all other prerequisites for the elective have been completed. The same rule applies to the required math and statistics courses. For example, if a student fails MATH UN1201 CALCULUS III , the student may retake calculus III concurrently with Intermediate Microeconomics . Students who must retake any core economics or math course may not retake it concurrently with a senior seminar; the economics core courses  ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS , ECON UN3213 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS , and  ECON UN3412 INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS must be successfully completed before a student may enroll in a seminar.

A grade of W is not equivalent to a grade of D or F; it does not qualify a student to retake the course concurrently with a higher level course that lists the course as a prerequisite. Students who receive a grade of W in a core course must complete the course with a grade of C- or better before taking a course that lists it as a prerequisite.

Only ECON UN1105 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS may be taken for a grade of Pass/D/Fail, and the student must receive a grade of P for it to count towards the requirements for the major, concentration, or interdepartmental majors.

Economics Electives

Only those courses identified in the Economics Department listings in this Bulletin may be taken for elective credit. All 3000 -level or higher electives offered by the Economics Department have ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS  and ECON UN3213 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS as prerequisites. However, some electives have additional prerequisites and students should ensure that all prerequisites have been completed (see the table of prerequisites printed above). Seminars do not count as electives.

Seminars can be taken only after all of the required core courses in economics have been successfully completed. Students may not take or re-take ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS , ECON UN3213 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS , or ECON UN3412 INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS concurrently with any senior seminar. Seminars do not count as electives . Each seminar is limited to sixteen students, with priority given to seniors. For ECPS GU4921 SEMINAR IN POLITICAL ECONOMICS  and ECPH GU4950 ECONOMICS ＆ PHILOSOPHY , priority is given to economics–political science and economics-philosophy majors, respectively.

For seminar registration details, read the information posted on the department's Senior Seminar Registration  page: http://econ.columbia.edu/senior-seminars-registration .

Mathematics

Students must consult with the Mathematics Department for the appropriate placement in the calculus sequence. Students must complete one of the following sequences:

In addition:

• Students who receive a grade of D or F in MATH UN1201 CALCULUS III or MATH UN1205 must retake the course, but may enroll in ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS .
• Students who receive a grade of D or F in MATH UN1207 HONORS MATHEMATICS A   may either retake the course, or take MATH UN1201 CALCULUS III or MATH UN1205, and enroll in ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS  concurrently.

Unless otherwise specified below, all students must take STAT UN1201 CALC-BASED INTRO TO STATISTICS , or a higher level course, such as STAT GU4204 STATISTICAL INFERENCE , or STAT GU4001 .

Barnard Courses

A limited number of Barnard economics electives may count toward the major, concentration, and interdepartmental majors. Students should pay careful attention to the limit of Barnard electives indicated in their program requirements. Please see the Transfer Credit section below for information on the number of Barnard electives that may be taken to fulfill major requirements. In addition, students may receive credit for the major, concentration, and interdepartmental majors only for those Barnard economics courses listed in this Bulletin. However, students may not receive credit for two courses whose content overlaps. Barnard and Columbia economics electives with overlapping content include but are not limited to:

Students should always first consult with econ-advising to confirm that the Barnard elective they wish to take does not overlap with a Columbia elective that they have already taken or plan to take.  Students may not take the Barnard core economics, math, statistics, or seminar courses for credit towards the completion of major requirements.

School of Professional Studies Courses

The Department of Economics does not accept any of the courses offered through the School of Professional Studies for credit towards the economics major, concentration, or interdepartmental majors with the exception of the courses offered by the Economics Department during the summer session at Columbia.

Other Department and School Courses

Please note that with the exception of the above Barnard courses and the specific courses listed below for the financial economics major, no other courses offered through the different departments and schools at Columbia count toward the economics majors or concentration.

Transfer Credits

Students are required to take a minimum number of courses in the Columbia Economics Department. For all majors and interdepartmental majors, students must complete a minimum of five lecture courses in the Columbia department.  Students may fulfill their remaining requirements for economics lecture courses through AP (or IB or GCE) credits, Barnard electives, transfer courses, and study abroad courses (the latter two are subject to the approval of the Economics Department). The following table summarizes the new rules:  

• Lecture courses do not include seminars, which must be taken in the Columbia Economics Department. The lecture course counts are counts of economics courses only and do not include math, statistics, or courses in other departments;
• At least two of the three 3000 -level economics core courses must be taken in the department and no corresponding Barnard courses are accepted. ECON UN3025 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS and ECON UN3265 MONEY AND BANKING are counted as departmental courses regardless of the instructor;
• Outside courses include AP (or IB or GCE) credits, transfer credits, Barnard 2000- and 3000- level elective courses and transfer credits from other universities. In the case where two or more courses taken outside of Columbia are used as the equivalent of ECON UN1105 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS , those courses are counted as one transfer course.
• At least one of the core finance courses, ECON UN3025 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS and ECON GU4280 CORPORATE FINANCE,  must be taken at Columbia.

Approval of transfer credits to fulfill economics requirements must be obtained in writing from the Department of Economics (see the departmental website or speak with your advising dean for information regarding applications for transfer credit). Approval is granted only for courses that are considered to be comparable to those offered at Columbia.

Summer courses taken at other institutions must be approved in writing by the department's transfer credit adviser before the course is taken. The department does not accept transfer credits for any 3000 level core courses taken during a summer session outside of Columbia University.  Summer courses taken from the department of economics at Columbia University do not need approval.

Guidelines and instructions on how to request transfer credit approval can be found in the Transfer Credit Information page of the departmental website .

Major in Economics

Please read Guidelines for all for Economics Majors, Concentrators, and Interdepartmental Majors above.

The economics major requires a minimum of 35 points in economics, 6 points in mathematics, and 3 points in statistics, for a total of at least 44 points as follows:

Concentration in Economics

Please read  Guidelines for all for Economics Majors, Concentrators, and Interdepartmental Majors  above.

The economics concentration requires a minimum of 25 points in economics, 6 points in mathematics, and 3 points in statistics, for a total of at least 34 points as follows:

Major in Financial Economics

The Department of Economics offers the major in financial economics, which provides an academic framework to explore the role of financial markets and intermediaries in the allocation (and mis-allocation) of capital. Among the topics studied in financial economics are financial markets, banks and other financial intermediaries, asset valuation, portfolio allocation, regulation and corporate governance.

The financial economics major requires 26 points in economics, 6 points in mathematics, 3 points in statistics, 3 points in business, and 12 points from a list of selected courses for a total minimum of 50 points as follows:

1) Students must complete the finance core no later than fall of their senior year.  2) At least one of the core finance courses, ECON UN3025 and ECON GU4280,  must be taken at Columbia.

Major in Economics-Mathematics

The major in economics and mathematics provides students with a grounding in economic theory comparable to that provided by the general economics major and exposes students to rigorous and extensive training in mathematics. The program is recommended for any student planning to do graduate work in economics.

The Department of Economics has graduate student advisers with whom students may consult on economics requirements. The Department of Mathematics has an assigned adviser with whom students may consult on mathematics requirements. The economics adviser can only advise on economics requirements; the mathematics adviser can only advise on mathematics requirements.

The economics-mathematics major requires a total of 52 or 56 points (depending on mathematics sequence) : 29 points in economics and 23-27 points in mathematics and statistics as follows:

• Students who fulfill the statistics requirement with STAT GU4203 and STAT GU4204 , may count STAT GU4203 or STAT GU4204 as one of the three required mathematics electives.
• Students who choose the one year sequence ( STAT GU4203 / STAT GU4204 ), must complete the year long sequence prior to taking ECON UN3412 . Students receive elective credit for the probability course.

Major in Economics-Philosophy

Economics-philosophy is an interdisciplinary major that introduces students to basic methodologies of economics and philosophy and stresses areas of particular concern to both, e.g. rationality and decision making, justice and efficiency, freedom and collective choice, logic of empirical theories and testing. Many issues are dealt with historically. Classic texts of Plato, Kant, Mill, Marx, and Smith are reviewed.

The Department of Economics has graduate student advisers with whom students may consult on economics requirements. The Department of Philosophy has an assigned adviser with whom students may consult on philosophy requirements. The economics adviser can only advise on economics requirements; the philosophy adviser can only advise on philosophy requirements.

The economics-philosophy major requires a total minimum of 54 points: 25 points in economics, 16 points in philosophy, 6 points in mathematics, 3 points in statistics, and 4 points in the interdisciplinary seminar as follows:

Students who declared before Spring 2014:   The requirements for this program were modified in 2014. Students who declared this program before Spring 2014 should contact the director of undergraduate studies for the department in order to confirm their options for major requirements.

Major in Economics–Political Science

Political economy is an interdisciplinary major that introduces students to the methodologies of economics and political science and stresses areas of particular concern to both. This program is particularly beneficial to students planning to do graduate work in schools of public policy and international affairs.

The Department of Economics has graduate student advisers with whom students may consult on economics requirements. The Department of Political Science has an assigned adviser with whom students may consult on political science requirements. The economics adviser can only advise on economics requirements; the political science adviser can only advise on political science requirements.

The economics–political science major requires a total of 59 points: 22 points in economics, 17 points in political science, 6 points in mathematics, 6 points in statistical methods, 4 points in a political science seminar, and 4 points in the interdisciplinary seminar as follows.

The political science courses are grouped into four areas, i.e. subfields: (1) American Politics, (2) Comparative Politics, (3) International Relations, and (4) Political Theory. For the political science part of the major, students are required to select one area as a major subfield and one as a minor subfield. The corresponding introductory courses in both subfields must be taken, plus two electives in the major subfield, and one in the minor subfield.

Major in Economics-Statistics

The major in economics-statistics provides students with a grounding in economic theory comparable to that provided by the general economics major, but also exposes students to a significantly more rigorous and extensive statistics training than is provided by the general major. This program is recommended for students with strong quantitative skills and for those contemplating graduate studies in economics.

The Department of Economics has graduate student advisers with whom students may consult on economics requirements. The Department of Statistics has an assigned adviser with whom students may consult on statistics requirements. The economics adviser can only advise on economics requirements; the statistics adviser can only advise on statistics requirements.

The economics-statistics major requires a total of 59 points: 29 in economics, 15 points in statistics, 12 points in mathematics, 3 points in computer science as follows:

Students who declared before Spring 2014:   The requirements for this program were modified in 2014. Students who declared this program before Spring 2014 should contact the director of undergraduate studies for the department in order to confirm their options for major requirements. 

ECON UN1105 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Corequisites: ECON UN1155 Corequisites: ECON UN1155 How a market economy determines the relative prices of goods, factors of production, and the allocation of resources and the circumstances under which it does it efficiently. Why such an economy has fluctuations and how they may becontrolled

ECON UN3211 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 and MATH UN1101 and ( MATH UN1201 or MATH UN1207 ) Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 and MATH UN1101 and ( MATH UN1201 or MATH UN1207 ) The determination of the relative prices of goods and factors of production and the allocation of resources

ECON UN3213 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ( MATH UN1101 or MATH UN1207 ) and ECON UN1105 or the equivalent. Corequisites: MATH UN1201 Prerequisites: ( MATH UN1101 or MATH UN1207 ) and ECON UN1105 or the equivalent. Corequisites: MATH UN1201 This course covers the determination of output, employment, inflation and interest rates. Topics include economic growth, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policy, consumption and savings and national income accounting

ECON UN3412 INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 or ECON UN3213 ) and ( MATH UN1201 or MATH UN1207 ) and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 or ECON UN3213 ) and ( MATH UN1201 or MATH UN1207 ) and STAT UN1201 Modern econometric methods; the general linear statistical model and its extensions; simultaneous equations and the identification problem; time series problems; forecasting methods; extensive practice with the analysis of different types of data

ECON UN2105 THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 The course surveys issues of interest in the American economy, including economic measurement, well-being and income distribution, business cycles and recession, the labor and housing markets, saving and wealth, fiscal policy, banking and finance, and topics in central banking. We study historical issues, institutions, measurement, current performance and recent research

ECON UN2257 THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 Covers five areas within the general field of international economics: (i) microeconomic issues of why countries trade, how the gains from trade are distributed, and protectionism; (ii) macroeconomic issues such as exchange rates, balance of payments and open economy macroeconomic adjustment, (iii) the role of international institutions (World Bank, IMF, etc); (iv) economic development and (v) economies in transition

ECON UN3025 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Institutional nature and economic function of financial markets. Emphasis on both domestic and international markets (debt, stock, foreign exchange, eurobond, eurocurrency, futures, options, and others). Principles of security pricing and portfolio management; the Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Efficient Markets Hypothesis

ECON UN3901 ECONOMICS OF EDUCATION. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 ) Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 ) Course objective: This course has two objectives: (1) To develop students' skills in research and writing. Specifically, participants will work on: formulating a research question, placing it in the context of an existing literature and/or policy area, and using economic and econometric tools to address it in writing. Specifically, in the first part of the class, readings, problem sets, and a midterm exam will build skills in these areas. In the second part, students will come up with a research question, and address it in a research proposal/report. While all the applications will be on the economics of education, these skills will be useful in students' subsequent careers,regardless of the area of economics they focus on. (2) To provide an introduction to key issues in the economics of education. Specifically, education is a signicant industryevery person entering this course will have already spent years in this industry as a customer, as a worker, as an input, or all of the above. The course will address questions like: What does economics have to say about how this industry is organized and what determines its output? Why do individuals invest in education? What determines the behavior, productivity, and reputation of rms in the industry? What role should government and public policy (if any) play in its operation?

ECON UN3952 MACROECONOMICS＆FORMATION OF EXPECTATIONS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 This course has two main objectives: To introduce students to the process of writing a research paper. This includes identifying and formulating a research question, reviewing the previous literature and positioning the problem in that context, identifying the proper tools and data to answer the question, and finally writing the findings in the format of a research paper. An immediate goal is to prepare the students to undertake a senior thesis project. To provide an introduction to selected topics and survey evidence in macroeconomics, with a focus on the expectation formation process of economic agents. We will start by going through some canonical models that are widely used for economic and policy analysis to understand the role of expectations in the decision making of households and firms. We will then go through a series of survey data and relate the empirical evidence to the theoretical predictions of those canonical models

ECON UN3981 Applied Econometrics. 3 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412

The objective of this course is to develop students' research skills and to learn the process of writing an original research paper. The skills and process include the ability to identify a problem and state in a concise manner, literature review, data collection, model formulation and estimation, evaluation of the problem and writing up the findings in a format of a research paper. An immediate and more specific goal is to prepare students to tackle a senior thesis project.

Towards this goal, this course will review or introduce the most widely used econometric techniques for empirical research. These include multiple regressions, probit and logit models, instrumental variables methods, panel data methods, regression discontinuity designs. This course will also introduce some time series methods such as vector autoregressive process, cointegration analysis, financial time series, and modeling of volatilities. Students will need to practice these methods with a computer software package (R or STATA) and with actual economic data sets.

ECON GU4020 ECON OF UNCERTAINTY ＆ INFORMTN. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Topics include behavior uncertainty, expected utility hypothesis, insurance, portfolio choice, principle agent problems, screening and signaling, and information theories of financial intermediation

ECON GU4211 ADVANCED MICROECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and MATH UN2010 Students must register for required discussion section. Corequisites: MATH UN2500 , MATH GU4061 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and MATH UN2010 Students must register for required discussion section. Corequisites: MATH UN2500 or MATH GU4061 The course provides a rigorous introduction to microeconomics. Topics will vary with the instructor but will include consumer theory, producer theory, general equilibrium and welfare, social choice theory, game theory and information economics. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in economics. Discussion section required

ECON GU4213 ADVANCED MACROECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and MATH UN2010 Required discussion section ECON GU4214 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and MATH UN2010 Required discussion section ECON GU4214 An introduction to the dynamic models used in the study of modern macroeconomics. Applications of the models will include theoretical issues such as optimal lifetime consumption decisions and policy issues such as inflation targeting. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in economics

ECON GU4228 Urban Economics. 3 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213

Congestion and other games, and the pricing of transit services. Location theory and land rents. Segregation and discrimination. The fiscal structure of American cities. Zoning and the taking issue. Abandonment and city-owned property. Economic development, abatements, subsidies, and eminent domain. Crime, deadweight losses, and the allocation of police services.

ECON GU4230 ECONOMICS OF NEW YORK CITY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 This course takes New York as our laboratory. Economics is about individual choice subject to constraints and the ways that choices sum up to something often much more than the parts. The fundamental feature of any city is the combination of those forces that bring people together and those that push them apart. Thus both physical and social space will be central to our discussions. The underlying theoretical and empirical analysis will touch on spatial aspects of urban economics, regional, and even international economics. We will aim to see these features in New York City taken as a whole, as well as in specific neighborhoods of the city. We will match these theoretical and empirical analyses with readings that reflect close observation of specific subjects. The close observation is meant to inspire you to probe deeply into a topic in order that the tools and approaches of economics may illuminate these issues in a fresh way

ECON GU4251 INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 The study of industrial behavior based on game-theoretic oligopoly models. Topics include pricing models, strategic aspects of business practice, vertical integration, and technological innovation

ECON GU4260 MARKET DESIGN. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 This course uses modern microeconomic tools for understanding markets for indivisible resources and exploring ways to improve their design in terms of stability, efficiency and incentives. Lessons of market design will be applied to developing internet platforms for intermediating exchanges, for auctions to allocate sponsored search advertising, to allocate property rights such as public lands, radio spectrums, fishing rights, for assigning students to public schools, and for developing efficient kidney exchanges for transplantation

ECON GU4280 CORPORATE FINANCE. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 An introduction to the economics principles underlying the financial decisions of firms. The topics covered include bond and stock valuations, capital budgeting, dividend policy, market efficiency, risk valuation, and risk management. For information regarding REGISTRATION for this course, go to: http://econ.columbia.edu/registration-information

ECON GU4301 ECONOMIC GROWTH ＆ DEVELOPMNT I. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 . Economic development is a complex and multifaceted process. Once considered a goal in itself, more recently it has become to be viewed as the fundamental means to world poverty alleviation. Today, about half of the world population still lives on less than $2 /day. Why? What does it mean to be poor? What are the forces that prevent so many people from enjoying a higher standard of living? The course opens on some fundamental macroeconomic models of economic growth and the recent debate on the geographical or institutional nature of the ultimate causes of growth or arrested development. Then we will move into the most recent microeconomic literature that sheds light on the lives of the poor and on the forces - in particular the market distortions and the market failures - that keep billions in poverty. Among others, we will discuss interesting topics like nutrition and health, the cultural origins of corruption, the effect of global warming, and the design of effective anti-poverty programs

ECON GU4321 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Historical comparative examination of the economic development problems of the less developed countries; the roles of social institutions and human resource development; the functions of urbanization, rural development, and international trade

ECON GU4325 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF JAPAN. 3.00 points .

CC/GS/SEAS: Partial Fulfillment of Global Core Requirement

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 The growth and structural changes of the post-World War II economy; its historical roots; interactions with cultural, social, and political institutions; economic relations with the rest of the world

ECON GU4370 POLITICAL ECONOMY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 or POLS 4710 for those who declared prior to Spring 2014. The objective of this course is to develop understanding of how political institutions and behavior shape economic outcomes, and vice versa. Starting from the micro level study of political behavior, we will build up to analyze the internal workings of institutions and ultimately macro level economic and political outcomes. During the course we will cover the following topics • Limits and potential of markets • Public goods provision • Voting • Redistribution

ECON GU4400 LABOR ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

The labor force and labor markets, educational and man power training, unions and collective bargaining, mobility and immobility, sex and race discrimination, unemployment.

ECON GU4412 ADVANCED ECONOMETRICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and MATH UN2010 Students must register for required discussion section. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and MATH UN2010 Students must register for required discussion section. The linear regression model will be presented in matrix form and basic asymptotic theory will be introduced. The course will also introduce students to basic time series methods for forecasting and analyzing economic data. Students will be expected to apply the tools to real data

ECON GU4413 Econometrics of Time Series and Forecasting. 3 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Corequisites: MATH UN2010

This course focuses on the application of econometric methods to time series data; such data is common in the testing of macro and financial economics models. It will focus on the application of these methods to data problems in macro and finance.

ECON GU4415 GAME THEORY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Introduction to the systematic treatment of game theory and its applications in economic analysis

ECON GU4438 ECONOMICS OF RACE IN THE U.S.. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 ECON GU4400 is strongly recommended. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 ECON GU4400 is strongly recommended. What differences does race make in the U.S. economy? Why does it make these differences? Are these differences things we should be concerned about? If so, what should be done? The course examines labor markets, housing markets, capital markets, crime, education, and the links among these markets. Both empirical and theoretical contributions are studied

ECON GU4465 PUBLIC ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Types of market failures and rationales for government intervention in the economy. Benefit-cost analysis and the theory of public goods. Positive and normative aspects of taxation. The U.S. tax structure

ECON GU4480 GENDER ＆ APPLIED ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 This course studies gender gaps, their extent, determinants and consequences. The focus will be on the allocation of rights in different cultures and over time, why women's rights have typically been more limited and why most societies have traditionally favored males in the allocation of resources

ECON GU4500 INTERNATIONAL TRADE. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 The theory of international trade, comparative advantage and the factor endowments explanation of trade, analysis of the theory and practice of commercial policy, economic integration. International mobility of capital and labor; the North-South debate

ECON GU4505 INTERNATIONAL MACROECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 . ECON GU4505 is an elective in the economics major. The course develops models for the analysis of the determinants of international capital flows, trade imbalances, and exchange rates. The models are then used as the basis for the discussion of topics such as Global Imbalances, Uncertainty and the Current Account, The Global Saving Glut, Purchasing Power Parity, Sudden Stops, Real Exchange Rates and Productivity, Covered Interest Rate Parity, Uncovered Interest Rate Parity, Borrowing Externalities and Optimal Capital Controls, Overborrowing, Macroeconomic Adjustment under Flexible and Fixed Exchange Rates, Twin Deficits, and Balance of Payment Crises

ECON GU4615 LAW AND ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

ECON GU4625 Economics of the Environment. 3 points .

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and UN3213 .

Microeconomics is used to study who has an incentive to protect the environment. Government's possible and actual role in protecting the environment is explored. How do technological change, economic development, and free trade affect the environment? Emphasis on hypothesis testing and quantitative analysis of real-world policy issues.

ECON GU4630 Climate Finance. 3.00 points .

In lieu of the failure of legislatures to pass comprehensive carbon taxes, there is growing pressure on the financial system to address the risks of global warming. One set of pressures is to account for the heightened physical risks due to extreme weather events and potential climate tipping points. Another set of pressures are to find approaches to incentivize corporations to meet the goals set out in the Paris Treaty of 2015. These approaches include (1) mandates or restrictions to only hold companies with decarbonization plans, (2) development of negative emissions technologies such as direct-air capture and (3) promotion of natural capital markets that can be used to offset carbon emissions. Moreover, financial markets also provide crucial information on expectations and plans of economic agents regarding climate change. This course will cover both models and empirical methodologies that are necessary to assess the role of the financial system in addressing global warming

ECON GU4700 FINANCIAL CRISES. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201

This course uses economic theory and empirical evidence to study the causes of financial crises and the effectiveness of policy responses to these crises. Particular attention will be given to some of the major economic and financial crises in the past century and to the crisis that began in August 2007.

ECON GU4710 FINANCE AND THE REAL ECONOMY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 ) and ( ECON UN3213 ) and ( STAT UN1201 ) Prerequisites: ( ECON UN3211 ) and ( ECON UN3213 ) and ( STAT UN1201 ) This course uses economic theory and empirical evidence to study the links between financial markets and the real economy. We will consider questions such as: What is the welfare role of finance? How do financial markets affect consumers and firms? How do shocks to the financial system transmit to the real economy? How do financial markets impact inequality?

ECON GU4750 GLOBALIZATION ＆ ITS RISKS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 The world is being transformed by dramatic increases in flows of people, goods and services across nations. Globalization has the potential for enormous gains but is also associated to serious risks. The gains are related to international commerce where the industrial countries dominate, while the risks involve the global environment, poverty and the satisfaction of basic needs that affect in great measure the developing nations. Both are linked to a historical division of the world into the North and the South-the industrial and the developing nations. Key to future evolution are (1) the creation of new markets that trade privately produced public goods, such as knowledge and greenhouse gas emissions, as in the Kyoto Protocol; (2) the updating of the Breton Woods Institutions, including the creation of a Knowledge Bank and an International Bank for Environmental Settlements

ECON GU4840 BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 Within economics, the standard model of behavior is that of a perfectly rational, self interested utility maximizer with unlimited cognitive resources. In many cases, this provides a good approximation to the types of behavior that economists are interested in. However, over the past 30 years, experimental and behavioral economists have documented ways in which the standard model is not just wrong, but is wrong in ways that are important for economic outcomes. Understanding these behaviors, and their implications, is one of the most exciting areas of current economic inquiry. The aim of this course is to provide a grounding in the main areas of study within behavioral economics, including temptation and self control, fairness and reciprocity, reference dependence, bounded rationality and choice under risk and uncertainty. For each area we will study three things: 1. The evidence that indicates that the standard economic model is missing some important behavior 2. The models that have been developed to capture these behaviors 3. Applications of these models to (for example) finance, labor and development economics As well as the standard lectures, homework assignments, exams and so on, you will be asked to participate in economic experiments, the data from which will be used to illustrate some of the principals in the course. There will also be a certain small degree of classroom ‘flipping’, with a portion of many lectures given over to group problem solving. Finally, an integral part of the course will be a research proposal that you must complete by the end of the course, outlining a novel piece of research that you would be interested in doing

ECON GU4850 COGNITIVE MECH ＆ ECON BEHAVIOR. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 Standard economic theory seeks to explain human behavior (especially in economic settings, such as markets) in terms of rational choice, which means that the choices that are made can be predicted on the basis of what would best serve some coherent objective, under an objectively correct understanding of the predictable consequences of alternative actions. Observed behavior often seems difficult to reconcile with a strong form of this theory, even if incentives clearly have some influence on behavior; and the course will discuss empirical evidence (both from laboratory experiments and observations in the field) for some well-established anomalies. But beyond simply cataloguing anomalies for the standard theory, the course will consider the extent to which departures from a strong version of rational choice theory can be understood as reflecting cognitive processes that are also evident in other domains such as sensory perception; examples from visual perception will receive particular attention. And in addition to describing what is known about how the underlying mechanisms work (something that is understood in more detail in sensory contexts than in the case of value-based decision making), the course will consider the extent to which such mechanisms --- while suboptimal from a normative standpoint that treats perfect knowledge of one's situation as costless and automatic --- might actually represent efficient uses of the limited information and bounded information-processing resources available to actual people (or other organisms). Thus the course will consider both ways in which the realism of economic analysis may be improved by taking into account cognitive processes, and ways in which understanding of cognitive processes might be advanced by considering the economic problem of efficient use of limited (cognitive) resources

ECON GU4860 BEHAVIORAL FINANCE. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Neoclassical finance theory seeks to explain financial market valuations and fluctuations in terms of investors having rational expectations and being able to trade without costs. Under these assumptions, markets are efficient in that stocks and other assets are always priced just right. The efficient markets hypothesis (EMH) has had an enormous influence over the past 50 years on the financial industry, from pricing to financial innovations, and on policy makers, from how markets are regulated to how monetary policy is set. But there was very little in prevailing EMH models to suggest the instabilities associated with the Financial Crisis of 2008 and indeed with earlier crises in financial market history. This course seeks to develop a set of tools to build a more robust model of financial markets that can account for a wider range of outcomes. It is based on an ongoing research agenda loosely dubbed “Behavioral Finance”, which seeks to incorporate more realistic assumptions concerning human rationality and market imperfections into finance models. Broadly, we show in this course that limitations of human rationality can lead to bubbles and busts such as the Internet Bubble of the mid-1990s and the Housing Bubble of the mid-2000s; that imperfections of markets — such as the difficulty of short-selling assets — can cause financial markets to undergo sudden and unpredictable crashes; and that agency problems or the problems of institutions can create instabilities in the financial system as recently occurred during the 2008 Financial Crisis. These instabilities in turn can have feedback effects to the performance of the real economy in the form of corporate investments

Economics Senior Seminars

ECON GU4911 MICROECONOMICS SEMINAR. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Registration information is posted on the department's Seminar Sign-up webpage. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Selected topics in microeconomics

ECON GU4913 MACROECONOMICS SEMINAR. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Registration information is posted on the department's Seminar Sign-up webpage. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 Registration information is posted on the departments Seminar Sign-up webpage. Selected topics in macroeconomics. Selected topics will be posted on the departments webpage

ECON GU4918 SEMINAR IN ECONOMETRICS. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and sign-up in the department's office. Registration information is posted on the department's Seminar Sign-up webpage. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and sign-up in the departments office. Registration information is posted on the departments Seminar Sign-up webpage. Analyzing data in a more in-depth fashion than in ECON UN3412 . Additional estimation techniques include limited dependent variable and simultaneous equation models. Go to the departments undergraduate Seminar Description webpage for a detailed description

ECPS GU4921 SEMINAR IN POLITICAL ECONOMICS. 4.00 points .

Priority is given to economics-political science majors who are in their senior year, but any available space is open to students who have taken the elective course in political economy.

Prerequisites: ECON W3211 , W3213 , W3412 (or POLS 4711 ), W4370 . Registration information is posted on the department's Seminar Sign-up webpage. Prerequisites: ECON W3211, W3213, W3412 (or POLS 4711), W4370. Registration information is posted on the departments Seminar Sign-up webpage. Required for majors in the joint program between political science and economics. Provides a forum in which students can integrate the economics and political science approach to political economy. The theoretical tools learned in political economy are applied: the analysis of a historical episode and the empirical relation between income distribution and politics on one side and growth on the other

ECPH GU4950 ECONOMICS ＆ PHILOSOPHY. 4.00 points .

Open only to economics-philosophy majors who are in their senior year.

Prerequisites: ECON W3211 , ECON W3213 , ECON W3412 . Students will be contacted by the Economics department for pre-enrollment. Prerequisites: ECON W3211, ECON W3213, ECON W3412. Students will be contacted by the Economics department for pre-enrollment. Explores topics in the philosophy of economics such as welfare, social choice, and the history of political economy. Sometimes the emphasis is primarily historical and someimes on analysis of contemporary economic concepts and theories

ECON GU4999 SENIOR HONORS THESIS WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

3 points per semester.

Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and the director of the departmental honors program's permission. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.7 in all required major courses, including calculus and statistics, prior to enrollment. Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and the director of the departmental honors programs permission. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.7 in all required major courses, including calculus and statistics, prior to enrollment. The honors thesis seminar is a year-long course, beginning in the fall semester and ending in the spring semester. Students who have been approved to enter the workshop will be registered for both semesters by the department during the first two weeks of classes; 3 points are earned per semester. This workshop may only be taken by students applying for departmental honors, and it also fulfills the economics seminar requirement for the economics major and all joint majors. Students must see the director during mid-semester registration in the spring to discuss their proposed thesis topic, at which time they will be matched with appropriate faculty who will act as their thesis adviser. Students will meet their adviser over the course of the year at mutually agreed upon times. A rough draft of the thesis will be due during the first week of February in the spring semester, and the final draft will be due three weeks before the last day of classes. Please note that for those joint majors that require two seminars, one in economics and one in the other discipline (i.e. Political Science), the economics senior honors thesis seminar only fulfills the economics seminar requirement

ECON UN2029 FED CHALLENGE WORKSHOP. 1.00 point .

Prerequisites: ( ECON UN1105 ) Prerequisites: ( ECON UN1105 ) The workshop prepares students to compete in the annual College Fed Challenge sponsored by the Federal Reserve. Topics covered include macroeconomic and financial conditions, monetary policy, financial stability and the Federal Reserve System

ECON GU4995 RESEARCH COURSE. 1.00 point .

ECON GU4996 RESEARCH COURSE. 1.00-2.00 points .

Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. Provides students with the experience of participating in the research process by matching them to a faculty mentor who will put them to work on one of his or her current research projects. A list of available research positions is distributed each semester on the major listserv

ECON GU4998 SUPERVISED INDEPENDENT STUDY. 1.00-4.00 points .

Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission

Of Related Interest

Note: Barnard economic  core  courses ( ECON BC1003 ,  ECON BC1007 ,  ECON BC2411 ,  ECON BC3018 ,  ECON BC3033 ,  ECON BC3035 ) and  seminars  do  not  count towards the Columbia economics major and concentration.

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Clinical Research Coordinator - General Medicine

• Columbia University Medical Center
• Opening on: May 13 2024
• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $62,400 - $70,000

Position Summary

Working in the Division of General Medicine under the direction of the Principal Investigator, the Coordinator will provide coordination and data collection in NIH-sponsored research studies as part of a research team, in collaboration with section leadership and divisional administration.

Responsibilities

• Assist with recruitment, assessment, and follow-up of a cohort study and to coordinate the conduct of a clinical trial.
• Assist with the conduct of a cohort study including recruitment of participants, assessment, and follow-up, as well as administering study questionnaires.
• Serve as a back-up for the conduct and coordination of a clinical trial including working with other study personnel, performing data collection, and screening and recruitment of study participants.
• Responsible for preparation of documents for renewals, modifications, yearly submissions, correspondence, and audit related to IRB for all research studies.
• Prepare and maintain manual of operations; provide translation of documents from English to Spanish.
• Assist in the preparation of submissions for scientific conferences.
• Prepare quarterly database query report and resolution of queries.
• Assist with financial tracking and confirmation of invoices for study related expenses (taxi vouchers, lab and study material supplies).
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• Perform additional duties as needed.

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• Willingness to do field work in the community and in participants' homes
• Flexibility to work after hours and on weekends
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• Phlebotomy skills
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• Potential bloodborne pathogen exposure
• Successful completion of applicable compliance and systems training requirements

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‘Bunker mentality’ at Columbia lit protest spark that spread nationwide

Decision-making at the university, long a magnet for protests, became centralized and shrouded even to high-level administrators as the crisis intensified.

Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, was in Washington on April 17 when she logged in to Zoom to convene her deans.

Earlier in the day, pro-Palestinian demonstrators had erected a tent encampment on the Manhattan quad. They staged their protest just as Shafik — an economist and former vice president of the World Bank who was less than 10 months into her presidency — was preparing to testify before a House committee investigating Columbia and other universities over their response to campus antisemitism inflamed by the Israel-Gaza war .

Hours later, she met with the deans remotely, people familiar with the meeting said, not to solicit advice or seek approval from the university leaders with vast responsibility over their respective schools, in charge of academics, discipline and public relations. Instead, she informed them of her plan: to call police onto campus if the students refused to yield.

By the time she arrived back on campus the next day, Shafik had set in motion a series of events that would fuel protests throughout the country and turn her campus into the center of a national debate over speech, hate, complicity and university governance. This debate is unfolding against the backdrop of a bruising presidential campaign increasingly intertwined with the aftershocks of the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 and the global consequences of the war in Gaza.

College protests over Gaza war

Columbia, unlike many large universities, doesn’t have its own police force. Shafik’s decision to enlist the New York Police Department to clear the student encampment, made swiftly with only a handful of high-level advisers, came over the express disapproval of the university senate, a policymaking body representing faculty, students, administrators and alumni and set up in response to the campus demonstrations in 1968 that made Columbia a landmark in agitation against the Vietnam War.

Shafik’s use of force galvanized the protests, with escalating rhetoric soon pitting students against one another and leading a rabbi on campus to urge Jewish students to return home for their safety. The standoff culminated in a second encounter with police nearly two weeks later, after demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall, a highly symbolic building targeted in previous student protests. And it set off a cascade of similar confrontations with law enforcement nationwide, from Indiana University to the University of Texas at Austin to UCLA.

Interviews with administrators, trustees, donors and others show decision-making at Columbia became increasingly centralized and shrouded even to high-level university officials as the crisis intensified — eroding trust in the president even as she faced what many concede were impossible choices. On Wednesday, the Arts and Sciences faculty agreed to consider a motion of no confidence in Shafik, with voting to take place for a week.

In a Thursday email to faculty, Shafik acknowledged, “I know that many of you are angry, and that you feel let down by me and by other University leaders for many different reasons.” A university spokesperson declined to make Shafik available for an interview but wrote in a statement that she “leads through consultation and consensus, and regularly meets with people from across Columbia, including faculty, administration, and trustees, as well as with state, city, and community leaders.”

On the April 17 Zoom, some deans warned Shafik about the consequences of police action, asking her to consider the damage done to the university’s reputation in 1968, according to people familiar with the discussions.

“This was not a conversation to explore options,” said one person who participated in the Zoom session and, like some others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details. “When some tried, it was clear the decision had already been made.”

A university official rejected that characterization, saying Shafik continued to consider alternatives as Columbia gave students more time to disband, ultimately enlisting police the next morning. Throughout the crisis, Shafik has faced competing pressures, including from a board of trustees where some floated unorthodox ideas, such as erecting a barrier around the student protesters to prevent them from disrupting university business, according to a trustee. Some trustees saw in the Hamilton Hall occupation echoes of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 , 2021, according to a person familiar with their thinking.

Numerous trustees supported Shafik’s move to call police onto campus, but some did not, according to a person familiar with those deliberations. A trustee said Shafik listens patiently and seeks consensus but is a decisive leader who understood that the decision was ultimately hers. Shafik acted, she explained in a letter to the NYPD, to ensure campus safety and compliance with university policies.

Some influential donors wanted firmer action.

“Columbia has been too slow to respond and to recognize these s---heads for what they are,” Leon Cooperman, a billionaire investor and Columbia Business School alumnus, said in an interview. Cooperman said he spoke one-on-one with Shafik several weeks before her congressional testimony, after he had threatened publicly to cut off contributions to the university.

Many other university leaders have also involved law enforcement to confront Columbia-style encampments that sprang up after police moved in on the New York campus. But not all of them. The president of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., wrote this week that he would not call the police on students even though their encampment violated the school’s rules.

“Cops don’t always give people tickets for going a few miles over the speed limit,” wrote the president, Michael S. Roth, a historian. “Context matters. … In this case, I knew the students were part of a broad protest movement, and protest movements often put a strain on an institution’s rules.”

Some students at Columbia, Wesleyan and elsewhere have demanded their universities disclose and sell off holdings in businesses and funds they see as complicit in Israel’s war. Nearly all of those demands have gone unmet, though some schools have taken steps to allay student anger, including promises to solicit their input on investments.

Some see in the national showdown centered at Columbia not just echoes of past protests but also omens of an even more fractured future.

“This protest is different from others that have occurred at Columbia, and Columbia’s had a lot of protests,” said James Valentini, a chemist and former longtime dean of Columbia College. “This is the first protest that wasn’t just students against the administration as the object of the action. Now we have students pitted directly against other students in a quite significant and dangerous way.”

‘They’ll destroy you’

A scheduling conflict prevented Shafik from joining the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT when they appeared before the Republican-led House Education Committee in December and gave nuanced yet evasive answers about disciplining calls for genocide. Two later resigned.

Four months later, Shafik was determined not to be the committee’s third casualty when it was her turn to appear on Capitol Hill, according to people who prepared her for the April 17 testimony or spoke with her team.

In her testimony, Shafik vowed to suppress hateful speech and discipline individual employees who seemed to express support for Hamas or its rampage on Oct. 7. And she stated unequivocally that calls for genocide would violate the university’s code of conduct.

A baroness in Britain, where she previously led the London School of Economics, Shafik had less experience with U.S. politics. But her approach drew on the advice of seasoned political strategists.

“The rap on the December hearings was that there were too many lawyers and too few communicators,” said Philippe Reines, a former longtime press aide to Hillary Clinton who helped prepare Shafik and others from the university, including the two co-chairs of the university’s board of trustees, for their testimony.

Clinton, who teaches at Columbia, recommended Reines to Shafik, he said. He had prepared the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee for her testimony about the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and later played Donald Trump during her debate practice in 2016.

Others involved in readying Shafik for the congressional gantlet had previously advised U.S. presidents: Shailagh Murray, Columbia’s executive vice president for public affairs who earlier served as a high-level communications adviser to President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden and before that was a Washington Post reporter, and Dana Remus, who until July 2022 served as President Biden’s White House counsel and is now a partner at Washington-based Covington & Burling, whose offices served as a makeshift war room on the day of the hearing. The New York Times first reported Covington’s involvement.

Shafik’s vow to prevent protests from growing abusive — and her rejection of such slogans as “from the river to the sea,” a common chant of student protesters that some interpret as an antisemitic call to eliminate Israel — earned praise within the GOP. “Columbia beats Harvard and UPenn,” Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) quipped.

But her disclosure of specific disciplinary decisions rankled many back on campus, who criticized her approach to avoiding conflict with the committee. “I think the feeling was, ‘My God, you can’t go toe-to-toe with a congressional committee. They’ll destroy you. Your only hope is to give in,’” said a former senior administrator. “It was a capitulation to a committee that was out to condemn universities.” A university official said voluminous document requests from the committee had included information about individual employees.

The table had already been set for Shafik to try mollifying critics. After protests began last fall, administrators clarified and tightened rules for campus events, without input from the university senate, and used them to suspend two groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Joseph Slaughter, a former faculty senator and director of Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, described these developments as a “coup” by senior administrators “who don’t know our students, and don’t know the statutes and norms of Columbia.” (A university official said that the groups were in violation of every iteration of Columbia’s rules, and that neither group has since agreed to comply, which would enable their reinstatement.)

In early April, the university suspended a handful of students for their alleged involvement in an unauthorized event called “Resistance 101.” To gain information about attendees at the event, the university enlisted what an administrator described in a statement as “an outside firm led by experienced former law enforcement investigators.”

Students expressed their outrage by beginning their encampment on the day of Shafik’s testimony, gaining maximum visibility as Congress turned a spotlight on their university. They labeled an area on the central quad a “liberated zone” in an echo of language used in the 1968 protests.

The university issued an order to disperse at 11 that morning. Plans to bring in the police took shape quickly, devised by Shafik along with the provost, general counsel and other senior university leaders, according to a Columbia official.

That afternoon, members of the university senate’s executive committee held an emergency meeting and addressed a joint email to the administration opposing police involvement, indicating they did “not approve the presence of NYPD on our campus at this time.” Columbia’s governing rules envision “consultation” with the committee before such a decision but preserve the president’s “emergency authority to protect persons or property.”

Students, initially ordered to disperse at 11 a.m., were given an extension until 9 p.m. University officials spoke with NYPD representatives that evening and asked to talk again in the morning.

After her testimony, Shafik remained in Washington to attend a previously scheduled dinner for the Bezos Earth Fund, a climate philanthropy founded by Amazon Chair Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. She did not return to New York until the next day, April 18, according to people familiar with her whereabouts.

Fight for ‘our university’

That morning, Shafik held another Zoom meeting with deans just as senior staff for New York Mayor Eric Adams were agreeing on an internal call that university leaders would have to put any request for police intervention in writing, according to a city official on the call. The goal, the official said, was to make clear that “we didn’t make this decision.”

Columbia’s written request came at 10:30 a.m. Officers moved in shortly after noon and arrested 108 people , including two law students acting as legal observers whose charges were quickly dropped after pressure from university lawyers, according to people familiar with the process. Charges against the other students were also later dropped.

University leaders knew they had a full-blown crisis on their hands. The 21-member board of trustees held around 15 sessions in the two weeks after the encampment was cleared, two trustees estimated. “The board fully supported Minouche on getting the campus under control,” one trustee said, adding there was “robust discussion” about her options.

The governing board’s members represent a broad cross-section of industries, including finance, government, medicine and media. One trustee said the board skews center-left. Among its members is Li Lu, a Chinese-born investor who was a leader of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, according to Columbia Magazine. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Shafik did not continue to consult with the cadre of politically savvy advisers who had prepared her for her testimony in Washington, according to Reines and a university trustee. Likewise, she did not involve Lee Bollinger, her immediate predecessor and a First Amendment scholar who had led Columbia for 21 years, before bringing in police, said a person familiar with the deliberations. She did later speak with Bollinger, according to a university official.

By this time, Shafik knew she had taken an extraordinary step by calling in police and wanted to adopt a less confrontational approach to ease campus tensions, according to a senior administrator. But at the very moment that she was looking for compromise, the protests swelled, with a tent city emerging just across from where the previous encampment had been disbanded.

The administration could not escape its “ferocious bunker mentality,” said James Applegate, an astronomy professor and member of the university senate’s executive committee. On the other side was a “group that just wants confrontation.”

Columbia’s provost, Angela V. Olinto, who acts as the university’s chief academic officer, tasked Josef Sorett, the dean of Columbia College, and Jelani Cobb, the dean of the journalism school, with coordinating negotiations with protesters. A business school professor, Geoff Heal, who specializes in environmental economics, had already been asked to explain the complexities of divestment to the protesters, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Heal did not respond to a request for comment.

Negotiations began on April 19 in Columbia’s columned Low Library, according to Sueda Polat, a graduate student. The talks were halting, sometimes lasting for hours and sometimes quickly breaking down.

Meanwhile, campus outrage was boiling over . The Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a professional faculty organization, said it had lost confidence in Shafik and pledged to “fight to reclaim our university.”

The new encampment remained mostly peaceful. During the Passover holiday, it played host to Seders held by pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom were Jewish.

At the same time, some protesters escalated their tactics, according to video and other evidence. An Israeli flag was burned on campus. Chants made clear the encampment was an unwelcome place for Zionists. Some of the most extreme rhetoric was lobbed just outside the campus gates, with students and others told to “go back to Poland” and warned, “The 7th of October is about to be every day for you.” Many campus activities went remote.

In the fallout, Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Columbia benefactor, pledged to withhold support for the university, saying it was “no longer an institution I recognize.” Biden also weighed in, condemning what he called “antisemitic protests” while refraining from assessing Shafik’s leadership.

By April 27, a Saturday, the administration had presented its final offer to the student protesters, proposing that in exchange for clearing the encampment, the university would accelerate review of student suggestions regarding divestment issues, increase transparency of investments, and fund health and education initiatives in Gaza.

The students voted to reject the deal. Polat said there was no chance of approval. “Not at all,” she said. “Students are prepared to confront militarized police violence. I think people underestimate how powerful and tough students are.”

The university then ordered students to leave the main campus lawn and, on April 29, said it was beginning to suspend those who refused. Early the next morning, a group of students seized Hamilton Hall, modeling their action on past takeovers of the same building — in 1968 to protest the war in Vietnam and demonstrate for the civil rights movement and again in 1996 to demand the creation of an ethnic studies department.

The 1968 seizure of Hamilton Hall is now memorialized by Columbia as a watershed, a protest against “racism,” among other causes, according to the university website , which notes that the student action ended when police “stormed the campus and arrested more than 700 people.”

‘I knew it would be violent’

Shafik again appealed to city police to clear the protests.

In an April 30 letter , she specified that she had the “support of the University’s Trustees” and wrote that the building takeover and related protests “pose a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the substantial functioning of the University and require the use of emergency authority to protect persons and property.”

She alleged that the takeover was “led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University,” and she asked that police remain on campus through at least May 17.

A shelter-in-place warning went out to students shortly after 8 p.m.

The participation of protesters unaffiliated with the university weighed heavily on university leaders, according to a trustee and others familiar with the deliberations. But even deans had limited details about the extent of outside involvement, relying on updates from university leaders or sometimes on public news report, and student protesters deny they were led by outsiders.

That evening, deans reengaged with student representatives, warning them that there were 1,000 police officers surrounding campus and again asking them to take the administration’s deal. They refused, according to people involved in the discussions. Mahmoud Khalil, one of the student representatives, said he continued working with mediators from the university senate to learn if evacuating the building would prevent arrests. But he ran out of time.

“No one wants NYPD to come in,” Khalil said. “I knew it would be violent.”

Shortly before 10 p.m., officers in riot gear entered the building through a back window via a ladder fixed to a police vehicle. They pushed, struck and dragged students, according to witnesses, video and medical records. One suffered an eye socket fracture, according to medical records provided to The Post. Several students said they were concussed. One police sergeant accidentally fired his gun inside the building, the department later disclosed, saying he was not aiming at anyone and no one was injured.

A spokesperson for the police department said that officers acted professionally “when Columbia’s administrators asked the NYPD to regain control of the campus they had lost” and suggested that protesters had staged certain injuries while stashing gas masks, knives and hammers inside Hamilton Hall.

Police arrested 22 Columbia students and two employees, along with a handful of students from affiliated institutions and 13 others, according to information later released by the university. The protesters were charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor.

Brian Cohen, the executive director of Columbia’s chapter of the Jewish campus organization Hillel, said the crisis that culminated with the sweep of Hamilton Hall resulted not from the involvement of law enforcement but from what he described as the university’s failure to act sooner.

“Our students have to be able to sleep, they have to be able to study, they have to be able to participate in their classes, and they need to be able to escape the protests,” he said. “The lack of enforcement of the rules just led to this downward trajectory at the university, which ended up in a place of chaos.”

At the end of the week, Shafik released a video saying that the previous two weeks had been “among the most difficult in Columbia’s history” but emphasizing that the university was resilient, even if it couldn’t “single-handedly” resolve ancient forms of hatred.

“What we can do is be an exemplar of a better world, where people who disagree do so civilly,” she said.

Still, difficult decisions lay ahead. Three days later, the university said it would cancel its main commencement ceremony , scheduled for May 15.

Not all trustees favored the decision, a person familiar with their discussions said. But when they met Wednesday, trustees commended Shafik for what one trustee called her “steadfast leadership.”

Razzan Nakhlawi and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.

Fisher Center for Real Estate + Urban Economics

2024 summer real estate research symposium, 2024 pre-wfa summer real estate research symposium hilton hawaiian village june 26th – june 27th, 2024, registration is now open details can be found at the event website ..

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 6:00 pm – Reception 7:00 pm – Dinner

THURSDAY, JUNE 25 8:00 am – Breakfast

9:00 am – Session I Mortgage Lenders’ Diversity Policies and Mortgage Lending to Minorities Ivy Feng,  University of Wisconsin-Madison , Devin M. Shanthikumar,  University of California Irvine , Dayin Zhang,  University of Wisconsin-Madison Presenter: Dayin Zhang,  University of Wisconsin-Madison Discussant: TBD

Why Zoning is Too Restrictive Jack Favilukis,  Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia , Jaehee Song,  Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Presenter: Jack Favilukis, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia Discussant: Sophie Calder-Wong, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

10:30 am – Break

11:00 am – Session II In Search of the Matching Function in the Housing Market

Cristian Badarinza,  National University of Singapore and CEPR , Vimal Balasubramaniam,  Queen Mary University of London and CEPR,  Tarun Ramadorai,  Imperial College London and CEPR Presenter: Vimal Balasubramaniam,  Queen Mary University of London and CEPR Discussant: TBD

Identifying the Effects of Demand for Safe Assets Jefferson Duarte,  Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Rice University , Tarik  Umar, Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Rice University Presenter: Tarik Umar,  Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Rice University Discussant: Chester Spatt,  Carnegie Mellon University

12:30 pm – Lunch

2:00 pm – Session III – Lightning Round Environmental Health Risks, Property Values and Neighborhood Composition Jules van Binsbergen,  University of Pennsylvania, CEPR and NBER , João F. Cocco,  London Business School and CEPR , Marco Grotteria,  London Business School and CEPR,  S. Lakshmi Naaraayanan,  London Business School Presenter: Marco Grotteria,  London Business School and CEPR

Impact of Institutional Owners on Housing Markets Caitlin S. Gorback,  McCombs School of Business, UT-Austin , Franklin Qian,  UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School , Zipei Zhu,  UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Presenter: Franklin Qian,  UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

Exploring Climate Risk, Risk Retention, and CMBS: Understanding their Interplay Yildiray Yildirim,  Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY , Bing Zhu,  Technical University of Munich, Department of Civil, Geo and Environmental Engineering Presenter: Yildiray Yildirim,  Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY

Adaptation to Climate Change Through Mortgage Default and Prepayment Yongheng Deng,  University of Wisconsin-Madison , Congyan Han,  University of Wisconsin-Madison , Teng Li,  Sun Yat-sen University , Timothy Riddiough,  University of Wisconsin-Madison Presenter: Timothy Riddiough,  University of Wisconsin-Madison

Picking Up the PACE: Loans for Residential Climate-Proofing Aymeric Bellon,  UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School , Cameron LaPoint,  Yale School of Management , Francesco Mazzola,  ESCP Business School , Guosong Xu,  Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management Presenter: Aymeric Bellon,  UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School

3:30 pm – Break

4:00 pm – Session IV Did Pandemic Relief Fraud Inflate House Prices? John M. Griffin,  McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin , Samuel Kruger,  McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin , Prateek Mahajan,  McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin Presenter: John M. Griffin,  McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin Discussant: TBD

For more information, please email [email protected] .

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