 |
In this extraordinarily deep and broad program, economics faculty pursue two equally important goals in teaching: first, to educate students in basic economic principles so that they can effectively analyze public issues and be effective contributors to the society; and second, to offer rigorous training for those students who wish to use economics in their careers.
 Majors adopt either a general or a mathematical approach to the study of economics. Students may specialize in financial, managerial, international, and industrial economics, or another area of focus. Some classes make extensive use of the computer instruction facilities in the Carnegie and Hahn buildings and at the Office of Information Technology. Also introductory courses are kept to a very small size to facilitate faculty-student interaction.
Tahir Andrabi analyzes the education of young women in Pakistan, economics of international borrowing and the export performance of developing nations. Eleanor Brown '75 is a specialist on insurance and the non profit sector. Cecilia Conrad studies and writes about poverty among women and families. Margaret Hwang studies CEO compensation structures and the effect of information technology on inventory volatility. Michael Kuehlwein focuses on the determinants of consumer spending. James Likens concentrates on Mexican migration to California and on the economics of credit unions. Stephen Marks serves as an adviser to the U.S. State Department and to the Indonesian Ministry of Trade on international trade policy. Hans Palmer works on the medical/social needs of the elderly. Gary Smith's book Statistical Reasoning strives to make statistics more interesting by using concrete, and often humorous, problems as topics. Its table of contents lists such alluring subjects as "the rich get richer," "should you guess on multiple-choice tests?," and "does smoking cause sex?" Macroeconomics: Theory Evidence and Policy by Frank Wykoff is one of the most widely-used works in its field. He specializes in analyzing changes in labor and capital productivity.
The Economics Club sponsors career discussions with visiting alumni, and social and sports activities with faculty. The Senior Colloquium has hosted internationally known guest speakers such as Sir John Hicks, Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, Kenneth Arrow, and James Tobin.
Pomona economics graduates distinguish themselves in graduate programs in economics, business law, and public administration; some even go on to study medicine. Others have engaged in activities such as organizing an agricultural extension service for drought-ridden areas of Africa, writing for The Wall Street Journal, trading yen on the foreign exchange market, and starting retail businesses. Karen Horn, a 1965 Pomona graduate, was the first woman to serve as president of a Federal Reserve Bank, and is currently chair and chief executive officer of Bank One of Cleveland, Ohio.
|
