The Evidence-Based Poverty Alleviation Concentration (EBPAC) provides you with the opportunity to learn about poverty and anti-poverty policy through the lens of economics. In the concentration, you are exposed to current economic research on poverty and anti-poverty policy and learn the statistical methods for causal inference that economists employ in the discipline. This concentration prepares you for a career in economic research, public policy, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

This concentration is offered as part of the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative’s Poverty Research Fellows (PRF) program. As members of the PRF program in EBPAC, you have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary programming that connects you with faculty across Notre Dame who are building an understanding of what causes poverty and how to end it. You are also encouraged to apply for PRF summer internships. These funded summer internships offer the opportunity to work on faculty-led poverty research initiatives at Notre Dame.

Admissions information

Admission to the concentration is selective. Economics and international economics majors typically apply for the concentration in the fall of their sophomore year and take the first required core course in the spring of their sophomore year. Applications from juniors will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Interested juniors should contact the concentration’s director, Adrienne Judson, for more information.

Important dates

The application period opens early each fall semester and admissions decisions are announced prior to class registration.

Requirements for admission

• Applicants must have a major in economics or international economics
• Applicants must complete Principles of Microeconomics by the end of the semester in which they are applying for the concentration

Factors determining admission

• Motivation to pursue anti-poverty work and commitment to the ND Poverty Initiative’s mission
• Mathematical background
• Performance in prior economics courses
• Overall GPA

Concentration requirements

To earn a degree in economics with a concentration in evidence-based poverty alleviation, students must:

• Complete the six required core courses for economics
• Complete the concentration’s two required courses
• Meet the EBPAC experiential learning requirements
• Take three approved electives related to the concentration’s focus

Requirements differ for international economics majors. Please visit our FAQ page for details.

Required courses

There are two required courses for all EBPAC students:

1. The Economics of Poverty (ECON 30500)
2. Causal Inference for Poverty Alleviation (ECON 40500)

The Economics of Poverty must be taken in the semester following a student’s acceptance into the concentration. Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 10010/20010) must be taken prior to the Economics of Poverty, and Statistics for Economics (ECON 30340) or an equivalent statistics course must be taken either before or at the same time as the Economics of Poverty.

If a student wishes to write a senior thesis, it is recommended that they take Causal Inference for Poverty Alleviation in their junior year. Econometrics (ECON 30341) is a prerequisite for Causal Inference for Poverty Alleviation.

Experiential learning requirements

Students in the concentration are required to enroll in two semesters of the EBPAC Enriching Experience as well as either:

• A third semester of the Enriching Experience
• One Immersive Learning Experience.

The EBPAC Enriching Experience (ECON 30501) is a one-credit course that introduces you to researchers and practitioners in the anti-poverty space. You will be exposed to the wide variety of research that economists conduct on poverty and the diverse set of careers that relate to poverty alleviation.

EBPAC Immersive Learning Experiences (ECON 30502) are one-credit experiential learning courses that offer you a unique opportunity to engage directly with real-world efforts to combat poverty over fall or spring break. You will either observe ongoing anti-poverty research while visiting social service providers who are partnered with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), or  explore how evidence-based policies are developed and implemented at the federal level while visiting Notre Dame’s Washington DC office.

Electives

Three approved electives (EBPA attribute) must be taken that are related to the concentration’s focus. One elective must be a 40000-level course, and one must be writing-intensive (ECWI attribute). A sample list of courses with the EBPA attribute is available below. This list is non-exhaustive, and course offerings change each semester. Please visit ND Class Search to view all current EBPA courses. You may contact the concentration’s advisor to determine if a particular course is acceptable. For the elective requirements for EBPAC students who are international economics majors, on the honors track, or writing a senior thesis, please visit our FAQ page.

Sample Electives:

• Advanced Labor Economics
• Data Analytics and Economic Evaluation for Social Impact
• Economics and Seven Deadly Sins
• Economics of Education
• Economics of Family
• Health Economics
• Human Capital in Developing Countries
• Law and Economics
• Power and Inequality in Labor Markets around the World
• Public Economics
• Urban Economics