Akila Weerapana
Professor of Economics
Links
Interested in the economics of higher education, international economics, the economics of conflict, and monetary economics.
My published work is in the areas of the economics of higher education, international economics, the economics of conflict, and the political economy. My dissertation research focused on monetary policy and my interest in the area remains inversely proportional to my publishing success. In the last few years, I have served as the Faculty Director of the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center at Wellesley and as the faculty liaison to the Office of Institutional Research at Wellesley. Through my work there, I have pivoted my research towards the economics of higher education, particularly in furthering understanding of how college students make crucial academic decisions - such as what their major is - based on the incentives they face.
I have taught classes in macroeconomics and international economics at all levels of the curriculum. I am most fond of teaching introductory macroeconomics, and have spent a lot of time in the last few years working on a co-authored textbook on macroeconomic principles. During my time at Wellesley, I have also had the pleasure of working with many thesis students, always on a topic of their interest.I enjoy learning about many areas of economics but I am partial to macroeconomics. The breadth of my interests is both my best attribute and my worst attribute as an economist.
I have two kids. When they were younger I used to describe them as always letting me revise and resubmit my work no matter how unsatisfactory the initial efforts have been. But now that they are older they are more accurately compared to journal referees - they either desk reject my offerings or provide snide comments about how my explanations lack clarity, the work is trite (and has been put into evidence before) and that the methods have evolved since the days when I had something to contribute to the discourse.
Education
- B.A., Oberlin College
- A.M., Stanford University
- Ph.D., Stanford University
Current and upcoming courses
Principles of Microeconomics
ECON101P
This first course in economics provides the fundamental tools for exploration of the field. Microeconomics considers the decisions of households and firms about what to consume and what to produce, and the efficiency and equity of market outcomes. Supply and demand analysis is developed and applied. Policy issues include price controls, competition and monopoly, income inequality, and the role of government in market economies.
Econ 101P is open to (but is not limited to) students who do not meet the QR prerequisites for ECON 101 and is also appropriate for students who, because of their previous preparation in economics and mathematics, would benefit from additional academic support for their study of introductory economics. Additional class meeting slots will emphasize fluency with mathematical tools needed for success in economics. Students are normally expected to enroll concurrently in ECON 251H. Students who have AP or IB credit in Economics, and who elect ECON 101P, forfeit the AP or IB credit.
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This course is designed to deepen students' engagement with scholarship in Economics. Enrollment is by invitation only and will draw from students concurrently enrolled in the core required courses for the major or minor. The class will introduce students to current research in Economics, presented by different faculty members, and link that research to skills and concepts covered in core required courses. Students will gain a better understanding of the ways the tools they are learning in their courses can be applied to real world issues.