Patrick McEwan
Marshall I. Goldman Professor of Economics
Links
Research in the economics of education, development economics, and Latin American education and social policy.
I conduct research on education and social policy in developing countries, especially in Latin America. I am especially interested in identifying and explaining the causal impact of policies on the schooling, health, and economic outcomes of children and their families. In past research, I have explored the impact of conditional cash transfers and rural school reform in Honduras, of youth orchestras in Venezuela, and of private school vouchers and free school meals in Chile. My work has received financial support from the the Inter-American Development Bank, the RAND Corporation, the Spencer Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It has been published in several books and many journals, including the American Economic Review, the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Journal of Human Resources, and the Journal of Public Economics. At Wellesley, I enjoy teaching courses in introductory microeconomics, Latin American development, and the economics of education.
Education
- B.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- M.A., Stanford University
- Ph.D., Stanford University
Current and upcoming courses
Advanced Economics of Education
ECON326
The course uses microeconomy theory and statistical methods to analyze education policy. What are the private and social returns to investments in schooling, and why do so many students leave school early? What are promising approaches for attracting and motivating good teachers? How should scarce public resources be invested in the quality of public schools, and what role should the private sector play in education policy? Students will learn how to read and critique empirical research, with an emphasis on understanding experimental and quasi-experimental research designs. Students will refine their skills in empirical data analysis, including the replication of classic papers using primary data.
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Principles of Microeconomics
ECON101
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. Students who have AP or IB credit in economics, and who elect ECON 101, forfeit the AP or IB credit. ECON 101P is an alternative course open to students who have not fulfilled the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement.