Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the USC Department of Economics is comprised of international scholars and one of the most diverse student populations in the United States. Economics is progressively becoming the most sought after major on campus. In combination with our stellar resources and unparalleled faculty, the department also produces PhD candidates who are at the forefront of cutting edge research. With a historic $200 million gift donated to Letters, Arts and Sciences from philanthropists Dana and David Dornsife, the department is excited about advancing our academic and professional resources.
USC economists look at issues of health in developing countries, the provision of health insurance in the US, what causes some countries to grow faster than others, what leads to exchange rate movements, the economics of financial markets, behavioral economics, the determinants of subjective well-being over an individual’s life, optimal design of contracts, the factors behind economic innovation, the economies of Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and China, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, Islamic Economics, statistical theory, the determinants and effects of economic reforms, neuro-economics, experimental economics, and the experimental and non-experimental evaluation of economic policies. Two important journals, The Journal of Econometrics and Economic Development and Cultural Change are edited at USC, and USC faculty serve on many journal boards. USC Economics faculty publishes in all the top journals in Economics as well as writing important books. They also advise many governments and scientific agencies, and several faculty members are fellows of the Econometric Society. University Professor Richard Easterlin is a fellow of the American Economics Association, an honor that is given to only two or three economists every year.
The Department’s areas of strength are development economics, macroeconomics (particularly international macroeconomics), economic theory (particularly industrial organization and finance), econometrics, and applied microeconomics (particularly program evaluation), and it has weekly workshops in each of these fields. The department has a very active research institute; the Institute for Economic Policy Research, headed by Professor Juan Carrillo. The department also participates in the USC Center in Law, Economics and Organization run by the Law School. These Institutes and Centers sponsor additional lectures and seminars.
