Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 6d

Great Jr Faculty Workshop yesterday! 🌟 Prof. Brian Marein shared fascinating research on European immigrants and wealth accumulation in the US. Always inspiring to see our faculty's work in action!

1

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 10d

What a fantastic #URECADay2025! Celebrating Prof. Erik Nesson @eriknesson.bsky.social & Prof. Brian Marein alongside their outstanding students who showcased their mentored research on Friday 🌟 So proud of our department's contribution to this celebration of undergraduate scholarship!

1

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 13d

Yesterday, we hosted Dr. Gaurav Khanna (UCSD GPS) for his lecture “The Migration of Skills: Brain Drain, Brain Gain, and Innovation.”

The event drew a standing-room-only audience! A big thank you to Dr. Khanna for sparking such thoughtful discussion within our community.

1

Reposted by Wake Forest Department of Economics

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 17d

🧠✈️ Join us for our Fall '25 Public Lecture: "The Migration of Skills: Brain Drain, Brain Gain, and Innovation"

📅 Wed 9/24, 4pm @ Kirby B02 with Prof. Gaurav Khanna (UCSD) - leading migration economist exploring how talent flows shape global innovation.

1 1

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 17d

🧠✈️ Join us for our Fall '25 Public Lecture: "The Migration of Skills: Brain Drain, Brain Gain, and Innovation"

📅 Wed 9/24, 4pm @ Kirby B02 with Prof. Gaurav Khanna (UCSD) - leading migration economist exploring how talent flows shape global innovation.

1 1

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 21d

Wake Forest's new tuition policy is economics theory in practice 📊 Eliminating financial barriers expands access, increases human capital formation, and generates positive spillovers for NC's economy. We're excited to welcome the talent this policy will attract! #GoDeacs

Wake Forest University @wakeforest.bsky.social · 21d

Wake Forest University announced today that undergraduates from North Carolina with annual family incomes less than $200,000 per year will attend tuition-free, beginning for students admitted for the 2026 fall semester.
Read more: wakefo.rest/3KeRLzT

1 8

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 21d

Exciting presentations at today's Jr Faculty Workshop!
📊 Alex Yu presented "Smoggy Instruments: A Breath of Bias in Air Pollution Impact Studies" (w/ Z. Wang)
🌍 Andreea Rotarescu examined "All Gain No Pain? Global Rebalancing Without Relative Wage Adjustments" (w/ O. Jeanne)

2

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 26d

Great seminar today with Robert Garlick from Duke,
presenting "Flexibility versus Performance: The Determinants of Labor Contracts in Nairobi, Kenya"

Thank you for visiting us, Rob!

1 3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · 26d

Last Wednesday our very own faculty member Prof. Andre Mouton kicked off our internal junior seminar series with his fascinating presentation "Measuring Task-Level Technological Exposure: A Language Model Approach" 🧠💡

2

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Sep 2

🏥📊 What's happening at the CDC this week and how does economics factor in?

Prof. Tina Marsh Dalton breaks down the key acronyms making headlines - RFK, HHS, CDC - and explains what's at stake with vaccine policy.

Check out her latest analysis: tinamarshdalton.substack.com/p/acronyms-i...

Acronyms in the News: RFK, HHS, CDC, and vaccines

Vaccines are back in the news, along with some chaos

tinamarshdalton.substack.com

3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 25

Happy first day of classes to all our incredible econ majors! 📊✨ Here's to a semester of discovering how economics shapes our world! Go Deacs! #Fall2025 #WakeForest #Deaconomics @wakeforest.bsky.social

3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 25

We are thrilled to welcome back our alumna Dr. Caroline Tompson as she teaches her very first class at Wake! Pictured here alongside Dr. Megan Manassah, a true celebration of faculty connections and mentorship in the Department of Economics 💛🖤

5

Reposted by Wake Forest Department of Economics

Wake Forest University @wakeforest.bsky.social · Aug 20

Are professional economists truly objective when forecasting economic projections? New research from Wake Forest University suggests otherwise, revealing a subtle yet powerful influence of political affiliation on predictions of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. #WFUResearch

Are professional economists truly objective when forecasting GDP? Maybe not.

New research from Wake Forest University suggests a subtle yet powerful influence of political affiliation on GDP growth predictions. Economist Aeimit Lakdawala, an associate professor and expert in monetary policy, found that political bias can systematically influence economic forecasts, shaping

wakefo.rest

1 4 8

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 23

🧠📊 Go Deacs! Gary Guo('25), ECN major and URECA Research fellow, guided by his advisor, Prof. Leah Lakdawala, explores the link between economic status and dementia diagnoses among older adults. Amazing work tackling critical health disparities! #WFUResearch @wakeforest.bsky.social

1 5

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 18

📢 Incoming Deacs! Join us for the ECN Open House 🎓
📅 Friday, Aug 22 | ⏰ 9:00–11:15 AM
Come meet our Economics faculty, connect with classmates, and learn more about our ECN degrees & opportunities. 💡📊

4

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 12

Welcome to our new Econ Deacs!

Joaquín Urrego (AP) whose research is in urban economics, development, and economics of crime & real estate.

Caroline Tompson (VPA) WFU alumna specializing in non-market valuation, survey methods, and economics of education.

We’re so excited to have them join us! 💛🖤

3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 7

Snapshots from our Economics study abroad program in Hong Kong - led by our amazing faculty, Tommy Leung!

📍Guest lecture by Byron Tsang (VT) on the linked exchange rate
🥟Group dim sum feast in Sha Tin
🌏Site visit to Sheung Shui

1 5

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Aug 6

New research by Wake Forest economist @aeimit.bsky.social suggests even professional forecasters aren’t fully objective. Under Republican presidents, GOP-leaning economists predict up to 0.4% higher GDP growth than their peers.

Fascinating insights here:
news.wfu.edu/2025/08/05/a...

Are professional economists truly objective when forecasting GDP? Maybe not.

New research from Wake Forest University suggests a subtle yet powerful influence of political affiliation on GDP growth predictions. Economist Aeimit Lakdawala, an associate professor and expert in m...

news.wfu.edu

4

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Jul 25

This week, our faculty members @eriknesson.bsky.social, @falbav.bsky.social and our newest hire Prof. Joaquin Urrego participated in the @nber.org Summer Institute in Cambridge, MA. Thanks to our friend Matthew Johnson from Duke for capturing the moment!

1 3

Reposted by Wake Forest Department of Economics

Faculti @faculti.bsky.social · Jul 21

How does unreliable urban transport disproportionately limit women’s access to higher education—and can infrastructure fixes close the gap? @falbav.bsky.social , @wakeforest.bsky.social , discusses: faculti.net/transport-ba...
#economics

2 3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Jul 21

🚍 Our very own Dr. Alba-Vivar is shedding light on how limited access to public transportation affects commuter students in Peru. Important insights on mobility and educational equity! @wakeforest.bsky.social

Faculti @faculti.bsky.social · Jul 21

How does unreliable urban transport disproportionately limit women’s access to higher education—and can infrastructure fixes close the gap? @falbav.bsky.social , @wakeforest.bsky.social , discusses: faculti.net/transport-ba...
#economics

2 7

Reposted by Wake Forest Department of Economics

Wake Forest University @wakeforest.bsky.social · Mar 22

It's a beautiful day to be a Deac! Welcome to the Forest, #WFU29. 🎩 💛

4 3 19

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · May 23

🚨 New Publication Alert! 🚨

Congrats to our faculty member Erik Nesson @eriknesson.bsky.social ! His latest paper, "The Effect of E-Cigarette Flavor Bans on Tobacco Use," is now available in the Journal of Health Economics 🎉

📖 Read here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The Effect of E-Cigarette Flavor Bans on Tobacco Use

Advocates for sales restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes argue that flavors appeal to young people and lead them down a path to nicotine addiction. U…

www.sciencedirect.com

4

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Apr 24

Yesterday we hosted Hannah Postel @hpostel.bsky.social (Duke) for our junior workshop—thank you for visiting us!

She presented “Subgroup Disparities in Automated Census Record Linkage” (with Abramitzky, Boustan & Eriksson), sparking a rich discussion on historical data and migration!

1 3

Wake Forest Department of Economics @wfueconomics.bsky.social · Apr 22

Last week we hosted Zhenxuan Wang (NC State) for our junior workshop—thank you for visiting us! 🙌

He presented “Steering Adaptation: Heat, Driver Performance, and Cost-Sharing in the Heavy-Duty Transportation Industry”, sparking a great conversation🌡️🚛📈.

1