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

How would living through a financial crisis affect your decision to buy a home, or invest in the stock market? And does it vary by age? Tune in to NPR's Planet Money interview with Berkeley economist Ulrike Malmendier to learn more.

U.S. deficit is creeping Toward $1 Trillion sooner than expected. What does this mean for the economy? UC Berkely chair Prof. Alan Auerbach, Director of the Robert D. Burch Center for Tax Policy and Public Finance, weighs in on the implications. Listen here.

Research by UC Berkeley Economics Prof. Emmanuel Saez contributes to the discussion on lessons from the financial crisis: "the top 1% of income earners had captured more than half of all income growth from 1993 to 2007". Read the Los Angeles Times story here.

UC Berkeley Economics Department ranked #3 in the world. UC Berkeley #1 Public University in the nation. Read about the new University Rankings here.

Does Diversity Matter for Health? NYT covers a fascinating study co-authored by Berkeley Econ Ph.D. candidate Grant Graziani, showing that black patients were far more likely to agree to certain health tests if they discussed them with a black male doctor.

What comes next? Janus v. AFSCME. Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) on how SCOTUS ruling will affect public workers, unions, wages & more

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.