FSEM 197   Economics for Non-Economists

Faculty Profile for Professor Sparber

Economics is about decision-making: How do people respond to incentives? How do we allocate scarce resources? How can a country’s elected officials act to improve the welfare of its citizens? Economists examine questions like these using advanced mathematical and statistical tools, but we also try to share our thinking using intuitive arguments and simple data summaries. In this course, students read several recent books – written for a general audience – that analyze current economic challenges. The course should be especially appealing to students interested in policy issues, whether they intend to major in economics or not. Students who successfully complete this seminar will satisfy one half of the Social Relations, Institutions, and Agents area of inquiry requirement.

Chad Sparber is entering his 14th year at Colgate and is an external research fellow at the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration at University College London and The Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany. His research examines the economic causes and consequences of immigration with a focus on the connection between immigration and skills in the American economy. He received a National Science Foundation grant in 2015 to support his research on the H-1B program. His research has been published in The Review of Economics and Statistics, The American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and The Journal of Labor Economics. It has also been covered by media outlets that include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. Chad received his PhD from the University of California – Davis in 2006 and his BA from Western Washington University in 2000.