In fall 2017, the economics department awarded Professor Lleras-Muney the Warren C. Scoville Distinguished Teaching Award for her class Economics 130: Public Finance. Professor Lleras-Muney’s popular lab-based public finance course introduces students to the latest issues on a range of public policy topics, ranging from health care to education. The class instructs students in data […]
A classic question in economics is: How to design an optimal debt strategy? This is a problem confronted by the treasury of any government or any big corporation. A debt strategy must determine an amount of debt issuances and its maturity structure. Economics offers a number of theories that guide that design. Although each theory […]
Karen Williams’ success as a businesswoman, educator, and leader are testament to her ability to make smart calculated decisions, and her self-described scrappiness. Her long, winding, and triumphant journey has taken her through many paths and many pivots. A journey that started, right here, at UCLA. Williams looks back at her undergraduate years very fondly. […]
Professor Simon Board gave a talk to UCLA alumni in London on the topic of “Reputation Design”. The talk discussed the challenges platforms like eBay, Yelp and IMDB face in eliciting and providing information to users. Professor Board discussed the different methods that are used to encourage participation, and also how they can give rise […]
UCLA alumnus Greg Passani’s foray into the investment banking industry was anything but typical. Currently an Associate at Intrepid Investment Bankers, Passani received his B.A. in Economics at UCLA in 2011, after which he went on to work as a private equity intern at OpenGate Capital, which focuses on acquiring corporate carve-outs, divestitures and special […]
UCLA alumnus Deborah Feinerman, current Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and Legal at Paramount Worldwide Distribution, exemplifies the powerful woman—but she didn’t follow a sure-footed path to her success. After Deborah received a B.A. in Economics from UCLA decades ago, she veered away from a business-centric path and instead proceeded to Loyola Law School […]
Long before Andrew Demetriou became a partner at Lamb & Kawakami, a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles, he spent hours Bunche Hall like the thousands of students currently at UCLA. His subsequent career as a successful attorney in the healthcare industry is a testament to his intellectual curiosity, dedication, and passion for economics and […]
In ongoing research, Professors Andrew Atkeson and Ariel Burstein study the role of firms’ investments in innovation (or, more generally, intangible capital) in accounting for economic growth. They ask questions such as: What changes should we expect to see in the growth rate of output in both the short term and long term if we […]
The RAND Corporation published a study on working conditions in the U.S. that is coauthored by UCLA Professor, Till von Wachter. The study examines data from the American Working Conditions Survey and contains a number of interesting findings. For example, more than 25% of Americans surveyed say they don’t have enough time to do their jobs, […]
You may have not heard of Julie Lee, but you have definitely heard music on Vevo. A founding member of Vevo, Julie helped revolutionize the music video industry. Immigrating to the United States as a child, Julie embarked on a journey that has since taken her across the world. Today, Julie is a business executive, […]
