Graduate Program/ PhD Progam in Detail / The Workshops
and Working Groups
The Workshops and Working Groups 2007-08
Required for all Post-Core students
50000 WORKSHOP IN ECONOMIC THEORY (Reny, Myerson, Pęski, Sonnenschein, Szentes)
Papers on current topics of research in economic theory, mathematical economics, finance, and mathematical problems of interest to economists are presented by the students enrolled, by faculty members, and by visitors from other universities.
51200 WORKSHOP IN ECONOMETRICS (Schennach, Heckman, Hansen)
Weekly presentations on current research in econometrics.
51400 ECONOMETRICS AND STATISTICS COLLOQUIUM (Conley, Tsay)
Weekly presentations by faculty, visitors, and advanced students on current research in econometrics and statistics, with particular emphasis on theory, methods and applications. Colloquium meetings are open to all interested faculty and students. (=GSBC 41600).
52100 WORKSHOP IN ECONOMIC HISTORY (Galenson, Fogel)
The emphasis is upon quantitative economic history, broadly defined. The range of topics is wide, chronologically and geographically. The papers are presented by students and faculty at Chicago and by visiting scholars. Papers are available before each session.
52200 WORKSHOP ON THE ECONOMICS AND BIODEMOGRAPHY OF AGING (Fogel)
This workshop will explore new research dealing with economic, demographic, and biological aspects of aging, including the study of life-cycle patterns in aging, early predictors of health and labor force participation at middle and late ages, and secular trends in these variables, past and future. Speakers will include faculty and graduate students at Chicago and elsewhere who work on measuring the costs and benefits of various public health programs and pension systems, methods of financing them, and alternative statistical procedures for forecasting trends in health status and longevity for the United States, other OECD countries, and the third world. (=GSBC 33670)
53000 WORKSHOP IN MONEY AND BANKING (Lucas, Alvarez, Cochrane, Hansen, Stokey, Townsend)
Discussion of current research in the monetary area. Papers are presented by graduate students who are working on research problems related to money and banking, by University of Chicago faculty and by visitors from outside of Chicago.
54300 WORKSHOP IN APPLIED ECONOMICS (Gentzkow, Kamenica)
The workshop features presentations of new applied research in microeconomics and related fields by Chicago faculty and Ph.D. students, as well as invited speakers. Papers for all workshops are available in GSB 344 or at http://www.chicagogsb.edu/research/workshops/AppliedEcon/ (=GSBC 33610)
56100 WORKSHOP IN POLITICAL ECONOMY (Myerson, Berry, Grynaviski, Heckman, Snidal)
The Workshop in Political Economy is organized around rational choice and game theoretic approaches to the study of politics and economies, broadly construed. Workshop topics include positive analysis of political, economic and social behavior, as well as normative models of public choice, experimental tests and philosophical critiques. We also expect some of the work presented to focus on empirical and policy applications of political economy models. Thus the workshop is inherently interdisciplinary – combining economic methodology with political science questions, and building political considerations into economic analysis. Workshop sessions will apply these combinations to a broad range of social science issues and substantive topics. (=PLSC 55300).
56300 PUBLIC POLICY AND ECONOMICS WORKSHOP (Meyer, Grogger, Heckman, LaLonde, Mulligan, Neal, Schanzenbach)
This workshop will emphasize empirical and theoretical work with potential public policy implications in the fields of public economics, labor economics and development.
58900 WORKSHOP IN DEMOGRAPHY (Yang, Cagney)
Students, faculty and visiting scholars present current demographic research related to social and economic issues. Open to graduate students of the Committee on Demographic Training and the social science departments. (=SOCI 60001).
59000 WORKSHOP IN APPLICATIONS OF ECONOMICS (Becker, Fox, Mulligan, Neal, Syverson)
This workshop deals with applications of economic analysis, with special reference to labor economics, human capital, and family economics. It often considers subjects traditionally treated by other social scientists that can be understood by applying the tools of modern analysis.
59200 WORKSHOP IN ECONOMIC POLICY AND PUBLIC FINANCE (Tolley, Leitzel, List, Shaikh, Sjaastad)
The workshop is concerned with use of rigorous economic analysis, both theoretical and empirical, that has important implications for policy. The subject matter includes taxation, the environment, economic development, international economics, finance, energy, urban economics, and other areas depending on student and faculty interests. Workshop presentations include Ph.D. research being undertaken by graduate students in the Department of Economics and the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies. Presentations are also made by resident faculty and invited distinguished visitors.
59300 WORKSHOP IN APPLIED PRICE THEORY (Telser)
Advanced students discuss their thesis research. Topics have included economics of information, theory of the core and related concepts, organized markets, bank failures, bias in price indexes, origin of the weather bureau.
60100 THEORY AND DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP (Townsend)
Features interaction among students and a small number of faculty with students, informal student presentations and discussion of research ideas at an early stage of research in a relaxed setting. Subject matter covers various aspects of theory (including mechanism design theory) in the context of data, especially development/ international economics. PQ: Consent of instructor. (Will meet Spring 2008 only.)
60200 MICRO WORKING GROUP (Levitt, Syverson)
This Working Group provides students and faculty with an informal setting in which to present work in progress on a broad array of empirical-micro topics. The focus of the workshop is on getting early feedback about the viability of projects, and gathering peer feedback on possible ways to improve research. PQ: Consent of instructor.
60300 ECONOMIC DYNAMICS WORKING GROUP (Hansen, Alvarez, Piazzesi)
We will study frontier research in economic dynamics, including recent contributions by outsider researchers and newly initiated work by students. Students will be required to give regular presentations and to comment on the work of others. PQ: Consent of instructor.
60400 FORMAL THEORY WORKING GROUP (Sonnenschein, Myerson, Pęski, Reny, Szentes)
The goal of this Working Group is to encourage and help graduate students to do “formal” economic theory and to present their work at the pre workshop level. The “style” is in the “mathematical mode,” but we welcome work in all areas, including portions of “theses to be” that are primarily substantive and/or empirical. PQ: Consent of instructor.
60501 ECONOMICS OF INEQUALITY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP (Heckman)
This group will meet to discuss a diverse set of topics, including: studies of the origins and dynamics of human inequality and public policies to alleviate inequality; the origins of the socioeconomic gradient in health, the evolution of health status, and the dynamic relationships among health, cognitive skills, and noncognitive skills; the economics of education, with an emphasis on the technology of skill formation; and econometric and statistical analyses of longitudinal data and human growth curves.
60502 OPTION VALUES WORKING GROUP (Heckman)
This group will address and discuss questions related to option values of education, including the return of the option to pursue higher education with a GED. We will also examine the issue using analyses of unique longitudinal data sets, and evolving, state-of-the-art methodologies.
60600 CAPITAL THEORY WORKING GROUP (Stokey, Alvarez, Shimer)
Discussion of current research in macroeconomics and related areas. Papers are presented by graduate students who are working on research problems related to capital theory, labor, monetary and fiscal policy, and growth. PQ: Consent of instructor.
60700 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP (Oster)
This Working Group provides students and faculty with an informal setting in which to present work in progress on topics in applied microeconomics, with a particular focus on international development. The focus of the workshop is on getting very early feedback about the viability of projects. PQ: Consent of instructor.
