As it welcomed IMF veteran Robert Flood to the faculty this fall (see related story), the Department of Economics and Econometrics also added three assistant professors to its T&R cohort.
Simeon Alder (Ph.D. UCLA) is a macroeconomist whose research interests are economic growth and economic development. A fellow of Notre Dame's Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Alder has shown that "crony capitalism"—where key managerial positions are allocated on the basis of political connections rather than merit—imposes a substantial burden on economic welfare in developing countries. Prior to beginning his graduate studies at UCLA, he worked as a political and economic research analyst for UBS AG and AIG.
Molly Lipscomb (Ph.D. University of Colorado) is an applied microeconomist who focuses primarily on development economics and environmental economics; like Alder, she is also a fellow of the Kellogg Institute. Lipscomb's papers have examined the response of firms to environmental regulations, water management issues between jurisdictions, negotiation of water rights between local governments, and the impact of infrastructure investments. In addition, she has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the African country of Mauritania and as a consultant at the World Bank.
Eric Sims (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is a macroeconomist specializing in expectations and business cycles. His current work explores the role of news, information, and uncertainty in contributing to economic fluctuations. In his dissertation, Sims demonstrates that, contrary to much modern thinking, changes in expectations about future productivity are not an important component of business cycles. He received several honors from Michigan as a doctoral student, including a predoctoral fellowship and a university-wide teaching award.