Lucie Lebeau
Assistant Professor of Economics
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I’m a macroeconomist who uses micro-level models to understand how money, credit, and negotiation shape trade and the transmission of macroeconomic policies.
Much of my research is about frictions: the delays, costs, or hurdles that make trade harder than it would be in a perfectly smooth market. I build micro-founded models, starting from the decisions of individual people and firms, to understand how these frictions affect the whole economy.
My work focuses on three inter-related themes: How do people decide on prices and contracts when they negotiate with one another in frictional markets? How does limited access to credit and liquidity slow down trade? Can alternative financial institutions and currencies help more people take part in the economy? In one project, I ran a lab experiment to examine how having less money to spend changes the way people negotiate, asking whether tighter liquidity can shift bargaining power. In another, I studied how a coca-based currency kept markets alive in remote Colombian villages cut off from cash, but also changed how those villages traded with the outside world.
Before joining Wellesley, I was a Senior Research Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where I worked on both academic research and policy analysis. In ECON 202: Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis, I blend theory with real-world data, current events, and hands-on policy simulations. My goal is for students to learn not only how the models work, but also how to evaluate them, adapt them, and leverage them to answer contemporary policy questions.
Education
- B.A., Sciences Po - Paris
- M.A., Sciences Po - Paris
- M.A., University of California-Irvine
- Ph.D., University of California-Irvine