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Justin J. Hong

Hello! I am a Ph.D. candidate ( 5 th year) in Economics at Boston University. 

Fields of Interest: Development Economics, Political Economy, Public Economics

Contact Information:  

Email: [email protected]

Mailing: Department of Economics, Boston University, 

270 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Working Papers

Leaders' Cultural Beliefs and Development: Evidence from Chinese Mayors (with Y. Zhao ) [202 4 ]

 We study the causal impact of leaders' cultural beliefs on economic development. To do so, we exploit enduring spatial superstitions in Chinese society, which associate people with individual-specific inauspicious orientations according to birth time and exogenous astrological rules. We find that municipal zones that are supernaturally unfavorable to mayors experience an average 2 to 3 percent slower GDP growth. This change results from reduced industrial expansion and public good investment, and is more pronounced for mayors from more superstitious hometowns. Misallocation analysis based on 1.8 million firm-level observations suggests such biases likely impede efficiency. In the longer run, having more "treated" years can accumulate into cross-zone disparities. Finally, we show that the role of leader beliefs depends on institutional environments. Collectively, our results shed new light on the idiosyncratic but substantial role of culture in shaping political leadership and macro outcomes.

Presentations : CES (2024), AMES (2024), IAAE (2024)

Corruption and Human Capital Supply for the State [2022]

I study the impact of corruption crackdown on human capital supply for the state, exploiting China's staggered anti-corruption inspections. Using unique applicant data from state organizations, I find that reducing corruption returns induces positive selection for integrity and prosociality into the state sector, without significantly affecting overall ability. These shifts in supply are associated with enhanced performance. Changes in occupational preferences corroborate static talent allocation as the mechanism, in which treated honest types showing higher preferences for state jobs -- even when conditioned on ability and family background. I further document dynamic effects wherein households increase investment in human capital and the integrity of the next generation, which can further reinforce allocational effects and generate long-term dependence. Together, these findings highlight reward structures as an important determinant shaping the state's human capacity. 

Presentations : Stanford DevPEC (2022), NEUDC (2022), ASSA Annual Meeting (2023, Poster)

Risk-Taking and Public Leadership: Evidence from Chinese Villages [ 2021]

Risk aversion can shift leader focus toward addressing constituent interests when incentives for responsiveness are limited, with a potential trade-off between accountability and public entrepreneurship.

Host Favoritism and Talent Selection in Chinese Science Olympiads (with X. Li) [Draft: Feb 2024 ][Previous draft: Oct 2023 ]

Talent recognition – and thus allocation of opportunities – may be subject to distortions as a result of favoritism and bias, which may potentially loom large because of the high stakes and often-opaque selection process.

History Education and Identity -Building in Taiwan (with Y. Lyu) [2019; Draft: 2024 ] [ Revise & Resubmit ]

Work in Progress

Southbound Bureaucrats and the Making of China  (with Y. Zhao)

Robots and State Capacity (with Y. Cao)

Legal Capacity Building and the State

Pre-PhD Research and Other Writings

Persistent Transitory Shocks: Human Capital Formation across Socioeconomic Status (with Y. Yang and Y. Zhao) 

Presentations : BU Wheelock (202 3 ), SDU* (202 3 ), CUFE* (2023), HKU*(2023)

The Cultural Roots of Favor-Exchange [ c urrently r estin g]

Sociopolitical Legacies of the 1998 Yangtze River Flood [ c urrently r estin g]

PDF version of my CV

KEVIN LANG Laurence A. Bloom Professor of Economics Department of Economics Boston University 270 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 (617) 353-5694 [email protected]

EDUCATION Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Economics, 1978-1982. M.Sc. Universite de Montreal, Economics, 1976-1978 B.A. University of Oxford (St. Catherine’s College), Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), (1973-1976; M.A. awarded 1980)

ACADEMIC POSITIONS HELD 2021- Laurence A. Bloom Professor of Economics, Boston University 2005-09 Chair, Department of Economics, Boston University 2000-01 Visiting Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1997 Acting Chair, Department of Economics, Boston University 1990- Professor, Boston University 1989-93 Associate Chair, Department of Economics, Boston University 1987-90 Associate Professor, Boston University 1982-87 Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine 1981-82 Acting Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine 1977-78 Part-time lecturer, “Methodes d’enquetes et de sondages” (Research and survey methods) Faculte de l’education permanente, l’Universite de Montreal (B.A. Program)

OTHER RELEVANT POSITIONS 2021- Advisory Editor, Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies 2019-2022 Vice President (2019-20), President-elect (2020-21), President (2021-22) Society of Labor Economists 2019- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Labor Economics 2019 Visiting Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2018 Visiting Scholar, Harvard University 2016 Chair, Sherwin Rosen Prize Committee, Society of Labor Economists 2015 Jacob Mincer Prize Committee, Society of Labor Economists 2015-2017 Program Committee, Society of Labor Economics 2014-2016 Board of Officers of the Society of Labor Economists 2014-2017 Research Strategy Board, Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, University of Manchester 2013-2019 Editor, Journal of Labor Economics 2013- Associate Editor, Labour Economics 2012-2013 Jacob Mincer Prize Committee, Society of Labor Economists 2012-2015 Board Member, American Economic Association Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession 2011-2012 Program Committee, Society of Labor Economics 2011-2012 Sherwin Rosen Prize Committee, Society of Labor Economists 2011- Editorial Board, Eurasian Economic Review 2009-2010 Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Economics, University of New South Wales 2009 Visiting Fellow, Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy 2009- Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn 2009-2010 Member, Roundtable on Education Systems and Accountability, National Research Council 2009-2012 Member, Board on Testing and Assessment, National Academy of Sciences 2008-2010 Member, National Research Council panel on Value-added Methodology for Instructional Improvement, Program Evaluations, and Educational Accountability 2007-2011 Member, National Research Council panel on Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Public Education 2006- Fellow, Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, Stanford University 2006- Research Associate, Center for Research and Analysis of Migration, University College, London 2004-2012 Co-Editor, Labour Economics, (journal of the European Association of Labor Economists) 2001- Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research 2000-2003 Advisory Board, Latino Research Program Project 1996-2009 Elected member, School Board (Brookline, Massachusetts), Vice Chair (2001-2004), Chair (2004-2006) 1996 H. Gregg Lewis Award Committee, Society of Labor Economics 1993-1994 Visiting Scholar, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1993 Program Committee, Econometric Society, North American Summer Meetings 1991-2012 Advisory Board, Canadian Employment Research Forum 1989- Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Economic Development, Boston University 1988-2004 Editor, monograph series on “Sociology and Economics: Controversy and Integration,” Aldine de Gruyter. 1987-1992 Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research 1973-1978 Principal Investigator (started as Research Assistant), CROP Inc., Montreal

HONORS, AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS 2021 55th Annual Gilbert Memorial Lecture, “Tasks and Investments in Skills” 2019-22 National Science Foundation, “Dynamics of Occupation Choice: Skill Investment and Output Pricing with Multidimensional Skill,” $280,000. 2018 Boston University Graduate Economics Student Association, “PhD Advisor of the Year” award. 2017 Economic Journal Referee Prize for 2016 2015 Gerald L. Gitner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching 2013-17 National Science Foundation, “Monitoring for Worker Quality: A Theory of Task Assignment, Job Ladders, Wages and Mobility in Internal Labor Markets,” $283,525 2010- Elected Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists 2007 Honorable Mention, 2007 Award for Best Professional/Academic Book in Sociology and Social Work, Association of American Publishers 2007-09 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, “The Consequences of Teenage Childbearing,” $162,500 2007 Canadian Labor Market and Skills Researcher Network, “Effects of Social Networks on Labour Market Outcomes of Recent Immigrants,” $12,873 2004-07 National Science Foundation, “Discrimination, Segregation and Wage Differentials,” $276,817 (with Michael Manove). 2003-04 Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), “Worker Sorting, Health Insurance Coverage and Wages,” $90,284. 2002 Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching in Economics 2001-02 Mini-grant, Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, “Voluntary Desegregation and Human Capital Acquisition in a Recipient District.” 1996-98 National Science Foundation, “Unemployment, Underemployment and Wage Determination,” $150,486 1993-95 National Science Foundation, “Recruiting by Employers: Implications for Labor Market Behavior and Policy” $117,213 1989 Fulbright Fellowship, NZ Institute of Economic Research, Wellington, New Zealand, “Deregulation and the Labor Market” 1987-89 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Faculty Research Fellow 1987-89 National Science Foundation, “Constraints on the Choice of Work Hours,” $35,652 (with Shulamit Kahn) 1986-88 National Science Foundation, “Testing Theories of the Dual Labor Market,” $46,385 (with William Dickens) 1986-88 National Science Foundation, “An Empirical Study of Labor Market Structure,” supercomputer funds (with William Dickens) 1986-87 NBER-Olin Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research 1984-87 National Science Foundation, “An Econometric Examination of Dual Labor Market Theory,” $74,600 (with William Dickens) 1978-81 Fellowship, Quebec Ministry of Education 1978-81 Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (formerly Canada Council) 1973-76 Exhibition (competi

CONFERENCE, SEMINAR AND WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS American Economics Association; American Education Research Association; American Sociological Association Mini-Conference; Arizona State University; Australian Labour Market Research; Australian National University; Baruch College (CUNY); Boston College; Boston University; Brandeis University; Brigham Young University, The Brookings Institution; Brown University; Canadian Association of Applied Social Research; Canadian Economic Theory Conference; Canadian Economics Association; Canadian Employment Research Forum; Canadian Labour Economics Conference; Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network; Carnegie-Mellon University, CASE (Center for Economic and Social Research, Warsaw); Center for Economic Policy Research; Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Économie Quantitative (CIREQ); CERGE-EI; Chinese University of Hong Kong; CIRANO (Montreal); Chinese University of Hong Kong; Chinese University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen; Claremont Graduate School; Collegio Carlo Alberto; Columbia University, Conference of Economists (Australia); Cornell University; Duke University; Dunedin University; Econometric Society; Einaude Institute of Economics and Finance (Rome); Eurasian Business and Economics Society; Erasmus University; European Society of Population Economics; Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Fudan University; George Washington University, Georgetown University; Harvard University; Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Ho Chi Minh University of Economics; ICER (Turin); Industrial Relations Research Association; Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po); Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (NSEE); Instituto de Análisis Económic (barcelona); Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico; International Symposium on Contemporary Labor Economics (Jinan University); IZA (Institute for the Study of Labor, Bonn); Koc University (Istanbul); Linnaeus University; Levy Institute (Bard College); London School of Economics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mathematica Policy Research; McGill University; McMaster University; Monash University; National Bureau of Economic Research; National University of Singapore, New York State Conference on the Elimination of Childhood Lead Poisoning; New York University; Northeastern University; Northwestern University; Oberlin College; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; Otago University; Peking University – Shenzhen; Princeton University, Queen’s University; Pomona College; Princeton University; Purdue University; Rice University; Rochester University; Shanghai University of Finance of Economics; Singapore Management University; Society for Economic Dynamics; Society of Labor Economists; Stanford University; Statistics Canada, Stockholm University; Syracuse University, Tel Aviv University; Tilburg University; Tinbergen Institute (Amsterdam, Rotterdam); Tinbergen Institute (Rotterdam); Tufts University; Universidad Carlos III; Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona; Universitat Pompeu Fabra; University Universite Aix-Marseille, University du Quebec à Montréal; Universite de Montréal; Universite Laval; Université d’Aix-Marseille II (GREQAM); College, London (CreAM), University of Alberta, Edmonton; University of Calgary; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of California, San Diego; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Chicago; University of Connecticut; University of Delaware; University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City; University of Houston; University of Kentucky; University of Louisville; University of Manchester; University of Mannheim; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Michigan, University of New South Wales; University of Oklahoma; University of Pennsylvania; University of Rochester; University of St. Gallen; University of Southern California; University of Washington; University of Waterloo; University of Western Ontario; University of Wisconsin; University of Wollongong; Victoria University of Wellington; University of Zurich; Waikato University; Washington University, Western Economics Association; West Point Military Academy; Yale University

REFEREE American Economic Review; American Economic Review: Insights; Cambridge University Press; Canadian Business Economics; Canadian Journal of Economics; Contemporary Policy Issues; Eastern Economic Journal; Econometrica; Economic Development and Cultural Change; Economic Inquiry; Economic Journal; Economica; Education Economics; Educational Testing Service; European Economic Review; FCAR (Quebec); Industrial and Labor Relations Review; Industrial Relations; International Economic Review; International Review of Economics and Finance; Journal of Development Economics; Journal of Development Studies; Journal of Econometrics; Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization; Journal of the Economics of Ageing; Journal of Economic Studies; Journal of Economics and Business; Journal of Health Economics; Journal of Human Resources; Journal of International Economics; Journal of Labor Economics; Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization; Journal of Macroeconomics; Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking; Journal of Policy Analysis and Management; Journal of Political Economy; Journal of Population Economics; Journal of Public Economics; Labour; Labour Economics; Levy Institute; MacArthur Foundation; Mass Insight; McGraw-Hill; MIT Press; National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health; National Science Foundation; Policy Studies Review; Princeton University Press; Quarterly Journal of Business and Economics; Quarterly Journal of Economics; Research in Labor Economics; Review of Black Political Economy; Review of Economic Studies; Review of Economics and Statistics; Scandinavian Journal of Economics; Science; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Southern Economic Journal; Theoretical Economics; U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation; Veteran’s Administration; W.W. Norton

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Welcome to the Department of Economics

UMass Boston's Department of Economics in the College of Liberal Arts delves into the fundamental questions that shape our economic world. Our faculty, specializing in diverse approaches, offers innovative curriculum and mentoring, while our undergraduate and graduate programs prepare you for impactful careers in finance, law, public service, and more.

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Academic Programs

Undergraduate programs.

• Economics BA
• Economics Minor

Graduate Programs

• Applied Economics, MA

About Our Department

The Department of Economics boasts distinguished faculty renowned for their high-quality applied economic research, innovative curriculum, and dedicated student mentoring. Our faculty members specialize in various heterodox economic approaches, such as feminist, institutional, behavioral, Marxian, and post-Keynesian perspectives.

Our undergraduate courses cover applied, theoretical, and quantitative analysis, equipping students with valuable skills for careers in finance, law, public service, or further studies in economics and related fields. Additionally, our Applied Economics graduate program provides practical research and analytical tools, preparing students for impactful roles in government, education, NGOs, nonprofits, research, consulting firms, and various private sector industries, including insurance, banking, telecommunications, environmental services, and transportation.

Year in Review

Economics Department Year in Review 2021-2022

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Economics at Boston University

We've gathered data and other essential information about the program, such as the average salary of graduates, ethnicity of students, how many students graduated in recent times, and more. We've also included details on how Boston U ranks compared to other colleges offering a major in economics.

Jump to any of the following sections:

• Available Degrees
• Student Debt
• Student Demographics
• Related Majors

Economics Degrees Available at Boston U

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics
• Master’s Degree in Economics
• Doctorate Degree in Economics

Boston U Economics Rankings

Boston U is in the top 10% of the country for economics. More specifically it was ranked #37 out of 497 schools by College Factual. It is also ranked #4 in Massachusetts .

Popularity of Economics at Boston U

During the 2020-2021 academic year, Boston University handed out 281 bachelor's degrees in economics. This is a decrease of 6% over the previous year when 300 degrees were handed out.

In 2021, 149 students received their master’s degree in economics from Boston U. This makes it the #4 most popular school for economics master’s degree candidates in the country.

In addition, 22 students received their doctoral degrees in economics in 2021, making the school the #12 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

How Much Do Economics Graduates from Boston U Make?

Salary of economics graduates with a bachelor's degree.

The median salary of economics students who receive their bachelor's degree at Boston U is $53,654. This is great news for graduates of the program, since this figure is higher than the national average of $45,868 for all economics bachelor's degree recipients.

How Much Student Debt Do Economics Graduates from Boston U Have?

Student debt of economics graduates with a bachelor's degree.

While getting their bachelor's degree at Boston U, economics students borrow a median amount of $24,500 in student loans. This is higher than the the typical median of $22,987 for all economics majors across the country.

The typical student loan payment of a bachelor's degree student from the economics program at Boston U is $888 per month.

Related Programs

Learn about other programs related to Economics that might interest you.

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Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)

Economics Student Diversity at Boston U

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the economics majors at Boston University.

Boston U Economics Bachelor’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 281 students graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Boston U. About 52% were men and 48% were women.

The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's in economics.

Boston U Economics Master’s Program

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 149 students earned a master's degree in economics from Boston U. About 56% of these graduates were women and the other 44% were men.

The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Boston University with a master's in economics.

Most Popular Majors Related to Economics

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Boston University

PhD in Economics

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PhD in Economics at the prestigious Boston University is a prestigious degree that offers in-depth learning in Economics. Being a renowned university, Boston University receives enough funds to ensure the best education facilities for its students across all programs. This doctorate program offered full-time primarily focuses on the practical implementation of fresh ideas through rigorous study and research. The students are encouraged to add new aspects and findings to the existing area of knowledge. PhD in Economics at BU is ranked globally by estimated organisations. Such recognition speaks volumes about the course’s importance and effectiveness in the present scenario. The top-notch faculty, modern facilities, and the aura of creativity and innovation in the BU campus is a life-changing experience for the students looking forward to kickstarting or upgrading their careers. Overall, a PhD in Economics at Boston University is an excellent opportunity to grow into a learned professional and bring new developments in the world.

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$63,798 / year

$3,18,990 / 60 months

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December 15

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Five BU Econ Profs cited in Economic Report of the President

March 22, 2024

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March 4, 2024

Prof. Guren coauthors report on Boston housing market for Mayor Wu

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Graduate Program

Department of Economics

Front Desk: Teaching Unit 2, Room 104 4104 Martin Luther King Blvd. Houston, Texas 77204-5019 Phone: (713) 743-3800 Fax: (713) 743-3798 Mailing Address: Department of Economics Teaching Unit 2, Room 104 4104 Martin Luther King Blvd. Houston, Texas 77204-5019

Please note the new application deadline for the Ph.D. program is January 15 .

Updated information about the GRE for Fall 2024 applicants on the Admissions and FAQ pages.

Questions and Answers

What are the characteristics of students who have been admitted and funded, how many students are admitted each year, how many students receive funding each year, do you provide partial funding, if i do not receive funding initially, can i be funded later, how much is the stipend, the doctoral program in economics.

The Department of Economics offers a program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Economics designed to provide students rigorous training in economic theory and quantitative skills as well as an intensive exposure to several specialized areas of Economics. The Ph.D. training provides skills needed in academic, government, or business careers.

Graduate students in the University of Houston Department of Economics are subject to all regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. The rules are found in the University of Houston Graduate Catalog, which can be found online at http://www.uh.edu/grad_catalog/. The requirements discussed below are additional requirements that apply to graduate students in economics.

The new doctoral student begins a year of intensive course work in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, statistics, and econometrics. During the summer after the first year, the student is required to take the economic theory comprehensive exam. Upon receiving a grade of "superior" in both the micro and macro parts of the exam, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.

More about the program

• Frequently asked questions about graduate programs in Economics
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• How to apply for a competitive fellowship

Boston University

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The doctoral program in the Department of Economics is designed to prepare students for careers in academics, government at all levels, and in international organizations. Through rigorous coursework, seminars, independent research, workshops, and one-on-one consultation with faculty, students learn to master basic tools of economic theory and quantitative analysis and, further, demonstrate the means by which theoretical tools may be applied to practical problems. Faculty in the department maintain close contact with graduate students, guiding them through all aspects of research and, ultimately, the dissertation. Applicants with degrees in economics or related disciplines, such as mathematics and business, are eligible to apply.

Course Requirements

Students must complete 16 semester courses (64 credits), and have the option of obtaining an MA in Political Economy (MAPE) while completing the requirements for the PhD. Course requirements are as follows:

• GRS EC 701 Microeconomic Theory
• GRS EC 702 Macroeconomic Theory
• GRS EC 703 Advanced Microeconomic Theory I
• GRS EC 704 Advanced Macroeconomic Theory I
• GRS EC 707 Advanced Statistics for Economists
• GRS EC 708 Advanced Econometrics I
• GRS EC 705 Introduction to Mathematical Economics (required unless a waiver is obtained)
• Students in the second year in the program must complete two 2-course field sequences

An overall GPA of 3.14 (pi) is expected in the first-year core courses. A “B” average (3.0) is required in each of the field course sequences. Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 by the end of the second year. For the exact grade requirements and other program rules, see the department rules and regulations, available from the department on request.

Qualifying Examination

All students must pass qualifying examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics by the end of their fourth semester. These are comprehensive, written exams that draw from the microeconomic and macroeconomic first-year core courses. The exam’s purpose is to ensure students are prepared to move forward in the program. The first round of qualifiers is held in June after the first year. A second attempt, if necessary, is offered in August. In some circumstances, a third attempt is possible the following June.

Each student must prepare a research paper toward the end of the second year and the following summer. By April 1 of the second year, the student must ask a faculty member to serve as an advisor on this paper, have this faculty member agree to serve in this manner, and inform the Director of Graduate Studies of the topic of the paper and the advisor’s name. The second-year paper should be submitted by October 1 of the third year. By October 15, the faculty advisor must provide (i) a grade for the paper and (ii) a brief written evaluation of the paper. A student must receive a passing grade on the research paper.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination

Candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in a dissertation representing original research or creative scholarship. A prospectus for the dissertation must be completed and approved by the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the department chair/program director. Candidates must undergo a final oral examination in which they defend their dissertation as a valuable contribution to knowledge in their field and demonstrate a mastery of their field of specialization in relation to their dissertation. All portions of the dissertation and final oral examination must be completed as outlined in the GRS General Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree.

A student who exits the PhD program in Economics and wishes to earn an MA must fulfill all the requirements of the MA degree. Passed PhD courses can be counted as equivalent to appropriate MA core and elective courses, and performance in the PhD qualifying exams, meeting a prescribed standard, will count for the MA comprehensive exam. Details are available here.

Requirements

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The Death of the Pure Elective

Remember taking classes for fun my students don’t..

“Why would you ever take an entire course on trauma?”

That was the question I asked my students last year at the beginning of a semester-long, waitlisted class on the most distressing type of psychic pain. Were they aspiring psychologists or social workers? Had they themselves been traumatized? Were they searching for tools to deal with catastrophe? Or had they just been intrigued by the topic?

I braced myself for their answers and was shocked that, to a person, they all responded the exact same way:

The course fulfilled a graduation requirement.

Accordingly, I was less surprised this year when I heard the same reply from participants in a very different (also full) course I taught on the philosophy of charity: They needed it for their degree.

I’m seeing this attitude more and more at the college where I teach, Boston University: Electives as you might remember them are out. Matthew Bae, a director of academic advising at BU, says he sees not more than one or two students a semester sign up for a course merely because they’re interested. “Students taking pure electives are the exception, not the rule,” Bae said, “and I always remember them because they’re so rare they stand out.”

If students can’t figure out what the immediate use value of a course is, they won’t take it. And so far as I can tell, this utilitarian approach is directly related to the rising costs of college.

Or perhaps I should say skyrocketing costs. Because, as the Boston Globe reported  last week, four top New England universities—Tufts, Wellesley, Yale, and BU—will cost an unconscionable $90,000 a year next fall. Northeastern and MIT aren’t far behind. That means that the price tag for an undergraduate education at these institutions is about to push past a third of a million dollars .

These universities will say that such numbers are “sticker prices”—and that financial aid packages ease the burden. (Asked for comment on the price increase, a BU spokesperson made that argument to a local news outlet, adding that the average aid package at the school was $67,000 in 2023–24.) But a 2023  survey by Sallie Mae indicates that students across the country still shoulder, on average, 71 percent of costs through family contributions and loans.

The effects of this trend are manifold. Recent surveys suggest that one of these is increasing student anxiety. According to a 2022 poll, 68 percent of undergraduates say that it is a struggle for them or their families to pay for college; another indicates that a whopping 92 percent of students fear they won’t have enough money to cover tuition. No wonder stress and worry are a daily struggle  for the broad majority of college students.

And another effect, while less visible, is no less pernicious. Because 78 percent of students believe that the price is worth it anyway—but only so long as it leads to financial independence. In other words, a university education better pay.

This is the brute logic of economics, which encourages students to see each course as a product that should earn a short-term return on investment. And this same logic is keeping students from doing the most important thing college lets them do: intellectually explore.

When I graduated from university, about 25 years ago, the entire price tag was around $50,000—a shade over the cost of one semester at BU these days. That was no small sum for my firmly middle-class family, even minus the scholarship money I was able to scrape together, but it also wasn’t a backbreaking expense.

So, while I felt appropriately motivated to find a major, get a degree, and graduate, I could also afford to look around a bit. I enrolled in electives in anthropology, astronomy, and urban planning, and I did so not because I wanted to secure a return on investment—they just sounded really interesting. And they were! I still remember what I learned about ethnographic methods, the Drake equation, and buffer zones, and I’m the better for it.

It turns out that my experience wasn’t out of the norm. As Robert Elliott and Valerie Paton point out, college curricula that encourage students to follow their interests trace their origins back to the elective system put in place in the late 19 th century by Harvard President Charles W. Eliot. Eliot’s reforms encouraged freedom of inquiry and liberated students from the rigid requirements of a common core, and, Elliott and Paton argue, their influence has persisted into the modern era. To wit, former Brown Dean Katherine Bergeron notes  (citing Derek Bok) that at the turn of the 20 th century, “curricula in more than one third of America’s colleges were at least 70 percent elective.”

For 19 th -century philosopher John Stuart Mill, this kind of free exploration was one of the most important purposes of higher education. He wrote that a “mind to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened, and which has been taught, in any tolerable degree, to exercise its faculties—finds sources of inexhaustible interest in all that surrounds it, in the objects of nature, the achievements of art, the imaginations of poetry, the incidents of history, the ways of mankind past and present.”

In other words, a college experience that allows students to engage in a wide-ranging pursuit of knowledge, liberated from economic pressures, turns the world into a buffet of intellectual pleasures. And it’s one that treats the student as something more than a cog in a giant capitalist machine.

But for Mill, the capacity to appreciate that buffet is “a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance.” In jacking up tuition costs, American universities are in the process of killing that tender plant. And the costs won’t be just economic. As prices rise, elite institutions risk turning themselves into high-priced vocational schools for the professional managerial class—and shunting students away from the most valuable part of college.

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Ph.D. Candidates Seeking Employment: 2023-2024

The faculty of the Boston College Department of Economics are pleased to offer the following job market candidates (in alphabetical order) for your consideration. Summary information on their fields of expertise, CV, job market paper title, and doctoral committee is also provided. More details are contained in the linked personal website pages. Click on the candidate name to access her/his personal website

Please contact any of the candidate's advisors or the Placement Director, Prof. Fabio Schiantarelli, for additional information regarding any of our job market candidates. You may also reference the contact information for each of our faculty members.

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