Casey Rothschild
Norma Wilentz Hess Professor of Economics
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Public finance theorist interested in the role of government in taxation and insurance markets.
I am primarily a public finance theorist. Broadly speaking, this means that I am interested in the role of the public sector in the economy and that I approach questions from a theory-first perspective. My specific interests include: the role of government pensions and private-sector alternatives in financing retirement; the optimal design of income tax systems; and the government's role in regulating private insurance markets.
I taught AP Economics immediately after graduating from college with a degree in physics, and I haven't looked back: I have since taught at the high-school, college, Masters, and PhD levels. I've loved every minute of it, but teaching students in a liberal arts setting is my favorite. My teaching interests are broad. They include basic micro and macro theory, advanced topics in game theory and decision theory, topics in public finance, and general-interest courses on topics of contemporary economic concern.
I am actively engaged in the economics profession. My work has been published in a wide variety of mainstream economics journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Economic Theory, the Review of Economic Dynamics, and the Journal of Risk and Insurance. My broad interests are reflected in my publications in unusual outlets (for an economist), including the Quarterly Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Theoretical Biology, and Geophysical Research Letters. I am the co-editor-in-chief of the Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, and I serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Economics Education and the Journal of Risk and Insurance.
I spend most of my non-economist time with my wife Beth and our daughters Adele, Mabel, and Loretta. We enjoy biking, kayaking, gardening, cooking, and hiking with our good dog Ken.
Education
- A.B., Princeton University
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Currently teaching
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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Strategy and Information
ECON322
How do individuals and groups make decisions? The core of the course is traditional game theory: the formal study of the choices and outcomes that emerge in multiperson strategic settings. Game theoretic concepts such as Nash equilibrium, rationalizability, backwards induction, sequential equilibrium, and common knowledge are motivated by and critiqued using applications drawn from education policy, macroeconomic policy, business strategy, terrorism risk mitigation, and good old-fashioned parlor games. -
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.