Recent News

The department encourages outstanding students from all nationalities and regions to apply to its PhD program in economics. This research oriented program prepares students for careers in academia, research institutes, government, international institutions, and the private sector. We offer scholarships (and most of the accepted applicants obtain them) which cover the tuition, plus provide a stipend of $17,145 a year, guaranteed for at least 4 years. [Download Information Package Here] and then [Apply Here]

Stony Brook's Economics professor Benitez-Silva was cited in an article published by the U.S. News and World Report in the issue for June 23-June 30, 2008 (article in pages 57 and 58). The article is signed by journalist Emily Brandon. Benitez-Silva's work was also cited in a related article in the same prestigious magazine in early February. The article focuses on retirement and Social Security Benefits, area of expertise of Professor Benitez-Silva.

Ahmad Yusuf will be studying his PhD in Economics at Duke starting in the Fall of 2008 with a full scholarship, and Ataoulaye Bah will join, also with a full scholarship, Columbia's M.A. program in International Affairs at The School of International and Public Affairs. "The successes of our majors continues in the competitive market of graduate education," states professor Benitez-Silva, proud advisor of Ahmad and Ataoulaye, remembering that last year one of our own joined Yale University's Ph.D. program in Economics.

Erem Atesagaoglu, a young macroeconomist who will soon obtain his Ph.D. in Economics form the University of Minnesota will join our department in the Fall of 2008. Erem's work trying to explain the declining volatility of aggregate economic measures in the United States since the mid 1980s with the changes in the tax system, without relying on the traditional explanation using changes in monetary policy, promises to bring a whole new view on the analysis of business cycles and their volatility. [read more about Erem]

Professor Montgomery's research on the growing urbanization in the developing world has been published this month in the journal Science, in their February 8th issue. The paper argues that developing countries in Asia and Africa are likely to cross a historic threshold, joining Latin America in having a majority of urban residents. The challenges that this will bring to researchers and policy makers are discussed. [read more]

Stony Brook's Economics professor Benitez-Silva was cited in two articles published online by U.S. News and World Report on January 9, 2008, and the in print issue of February 11, 2008, both signed by journalist Emily Brandon. Both articles focus on retirement and Social Security Benefits, area of expertise of Professor Benitez-Silva. [read more]

Professor Sanderson's research on the evolution of the world's population has delivered yet another fascinating chapter, and again has caught the attention of one of the most prestigious journals in the world. In Nature's January 20, 2008, advance online publication, Dr. Sanderson and his co-authors uncover the continue acceleration of the world's ageing population, and force us to continue to analyze how this phenomenon, which they helped bring to light with their outstanding research in the last decade (see other articles in Nature in 1997, 2001, and 2005), will challenge our economies and our lives in an variety of ways. [read more]

Graduate student Donghwan Kim is working with Professor Mark Montgomery on studies of urban poverty and health in developing countries. This research explores whether urban poverty is concentrated in slums or is distributed more widely across city neighborhoods. Kim's research is funded by an award from UN-Habitat (Nairobi) for the Fall 2007 period. [read more]

Na Yin, one of our graduate students has received a prestigious Dissertation Fellowship from the Center for Retirement Research for the 2007-2008 academic year. [read more]

A recent research study by Stony Brook's Economics professors Benitez-Silva, Dwyer, and Sanderson was cited in the New York Times on May 12, in an article on retirement and Social Security Benefits. [read more]

Adam Osman will be studying his PhD in Economics at Yale starting in the Fall of 2007 with a full scholarship. [read more]

Graduate student Zhen Liu's paper 'Fair Disclosure and Investor Asymmetric Awareness in Stock Markets' is selected by the 2007 AAA (American Accounting Association) Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting for an Outstanding Doctoral Student Paper award. [Link to the paper]

Robert J. Aumann, a member of the Stony Brook faculty at the Department of Economics since 1989 has received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences shared with Thomas C. Schelling. [read more]

The University acquires a new supercomputer 'Seawulf Cluster' to aid research. [read more]

Graduate student Na Yin receives the 2006 USB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Instructor. [read more]