Department of Economics

The large number of professors and their diverse interests enable a student to study virtually any area of economics.  The extraordinary quality of Harvard undergraduates makes the classroom environment stimulating for teacher and student alike.

Supported by a diverse group of faculty who are top researchers in their fields and fueled by a vast array of resources, the PhD program is structured to train and nurture students to become leading economists in academia, government agencies, the technology industry, finance and banking, and global policy organizations.

The study of the application of using hypothetical quantitative economic models.

The study of developing and using statistical and mathematical tools to analyze economic issues and policy
questions.

The study of how economies and economic outcomes have changed over history and how economic institutions have developed.

The study of production and trade and their relations with law, custom and government; and with the distribution of national income and wealth.

The study of the national economy and the determinants of national production, unemployment, and inflation.

The study of the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them.

The study of the cognitive and emotional dimensions of economic decisions.`

The study of individual markets and the nature of competition. Topics include anti-trust policy, the role of advertising, and how costs vary with the scale of operations. This field also studies particular industries such as software and technology firms, sports, and tourism.

The study of why some countries have developed while others have not, with special focus on the world’s less developed countries. How might the industrialized countries improve prospects for development around the world?

The study of employers’ decisions to hire workers and employees’ decisions to work. This involves determinants of wages, the incentives workers face, and the role of minimum wage laws, unions, pensions, and training programs.

The study of how to value and determine the price of assets with uncertain returns their derivatives and the markets that trade them; the study of how firms finance their operations and the capital structure of firms.

The study of individual markets and the nature of competition. Topics include anti-trust policy, the role of advertising, and how costs vary with the scale of operations. This field also studies particular industries such as software and technology firms, sports, and tourism.

The study of the role of government in the economy including how to evaluate government programs, the design of tax systems, and how the political process makes decisions.