Events

Seminar Series

Friday, May 2nd
3:30 P.M., FRONCZAK 444

Dr. Rodolfo E. Manuelli

Department of Economics

University of Wisconsin

Seminar: Explaining International Fertility Differences

Abstract: Why do fertility rates vary so much across countries? Why are European fertility rates so much lower than American fertility rates? To answer these questions we extend the Barro-Becker framework to incorporate the decision to accumulate human capital (that determines earnings) and health capital (that determines life span). We find that cross-country differences in productivity and taxes can go a long way towards explaining the observed differences in fertility and mortality. See this link for paper

 


Seminar Series

Friday, April 25th
3:30 P.M., FRONCZAK 444

Dr. Fabian Lange
Yale University
Department of Economics

Seminar: “Education and Allocative Efficiency. Evidence from Breast Cancer Screening”


 

Seminar Series

Friday, April 18th
3:30 P.M., FRONCZAK 444

Dr. Bruce A. Weinberg
Department of Economics
Ohio State University, IZA, and NBER

Seminar: “Scientific Leadership”

Abstract: The 20th century saw dramatic shifts in international scientific leadership. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe as a whole and Germany in particular dominated science. Today, the United States does. Traditionally, the shift of  scientific leadership from Europe and Germany to the United States has been linked to (1) the Nazis’ driving out star scientists; (2) the United States sending young researchers to Europe to study with European masters; and (3) investments in science in the United States.   Using a rich dataset on Nobel laureates in Chemistry, Medicine, and Physics, we argue that investments in science and a competitive market for science in the United States were likely the most important factors, with the Nazis playing a relatively modest role. Our estimates suggest that scientific leadership is more fluid than generally believed. See this link for paper.