Department of Economics | University of California, Berkeley

Department of Economics

Founded in 1903, our department is well-known for the excellence of its teaching and advising, with a strong reputation for producing outstanding Ph.D. graduates, as well as rigorous and innovative economic research. We are consistently ranked among the world’s leading departments.

On the forefront in research

The impact Berkeley faculty have had on various fields of economics has been enormous. Our department is currently at the forefront of many exciting new developments in economics:

5 Nobel Prizes
5 John Bates Clark Medals
2 MacArthur Foundation Fellows
25 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships (an average of one per year since 1995)
1 Fisher-Black Prize

Excellence in Teaching

Carol D. Soc Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Award: Professor David Card (2017); Professor Edward Miguel (2015).
Division of Social Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award: Professor Martha Olney (2016); Professor David Romer (2014).
Campus: Distinguished Teaching Award: Professor Ulrike Malmendier (2015)

Our roster just got bigger

This year we are pleased to add Professors Emi Nakamura and Jon Steinsson to our dynamic and diverse faculty.

Recent faculty hires include Dmitry Taubinsky and Supreet Kaur.

News and Announcements

Researchers from UC Berkeley and other top universities released a study called “The Return to Protectionism” earlier this month concerning the costs and benefits of President Donald Trump’s 2018 trade war policies. • Read more»

Little Feminist, started by Berkeley Economics alumna Brittany Murlas, is a children’s book and activity subscription that focuses on diversity and gender equality that teaches kids 0 to 9 years old empathy and perseverance. Read more about Murlas's work.

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The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and the Experimental Social Science Laboratory (Xlab) are hosting his year's Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC) at UC Berkeley on May 30-31, 2019. They invite submissions of papers involving economic lab experiments in low- and middle-income countries, or with clear lessons for LMICs. Please submit your paper using this form no later than March 14th, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT. Successful applicants will be notified by April 12th, 2019. In addition, this event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to attend.

How local productivity growth affects workers near and far: “The researchers find that low-skilled workers gained the most from local productivity growth.” New article in The Chicago Booth Review features research by Berkeley Economics Professor Enrico Moretti. Read more

Berkeley Economics Professor Gabriel Zucman in conversation with the Washington Post on his research on inequality. "The growing realization that wealth concentration has returned to Gilded Age levels is why we see these proposals for increased tax progressivity, and why we’re finally having a debate about wealth taxation." Read more. (photo credit: Elise Amendola)

Research and Teaching

Economics Professors Supreet Kaur and Danny Yagan have been awarded 2018 Sloan Fellowships, which “honor early-career scholars whose achievements mark them as among the very best scientific minds working today."

Professor Barry Eichengreen discusses with QUARTZ the future of the dollar and global currencies. See also Professor Eichengreen's new book!

In recent blog post, Women of Economics at Berkeley provide a research round-up on the state of diversity in Economics for 2017. See also: Engaging with Allies.

Alice H. Wu's award-winning senior thesis in Economics is featured in the New York Times: Evidence of a Toxic Environment for Women in Economics. See also the Daily Cal.

Professor Emmanuel Saez, Professor Gabriel Zucman, and colleagues at the World Inequality Lab have released the 2018 World Inequality Report.

Professor David Card has received a 2017 Carol D. Soc Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Award, which recognizes UC Berkeley faculty for their vital role in mentoring graduate students and training future faculty.