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Dear friends of UMD’s Department of Economics,
The new academic year begins with unprecedented challenges across higher education. At UMD, our proximity to D.C., reduced state appropriations, and the shrinking federal pie combine to make these challenges especially pressing.
Our graduating seniors, master's and Ph.D. students will all face challenging job searches. The research of our thirteen Ph.D. job-market candidates spans a broad range of topics; for example, the effects of U.S. public transit and highway investments, migration policy in China, labor market networks in Colombia, the transmission of U.S. monetary policy along the yield curve, and how anti-dumping policies affect prices and consumer welfare. Below we highlight one of these candidates, Qian Wang. Our placement director, Professor Luminita Stevens (stevens7@umd.edu), would be happy to talk more about them.
As a faculty, we are clear on our priorities. We are committed to the funding promises we have made to our graduate students, and we are committed to adapting our teaching so that our students are prepared for a world where machine learning and AI are everyday tools. Below we highlight initiatives in the use of undergraduate teaching assistants.
But going the extra mile really does rely on generous contributions, in time and money, from our alumni. With such contributions, we can support more Ph.D.-student data purchases or conference travel, provide professional mentorship and interview training, and increase the number of undergraduate teaching assistants and tutors in our department. If you would like to know more about anything described in this newsletter or on our website, or if you have any ideas about how to help, please reach out to atsweet@umd.edu.
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Andrew Sweeting
Chair and Professor
| |  | | | Expanding Student Success | |
Study Abroad Program in Mexico
Beginning summer 2026, principal lecturers Martina Copelman and Stefania Scandizzo will be leading a two-week study abroad program “Mexico: International Economic Policy in Action” in Mexico City.
Students will examine Mexico’s approach to economic policy through visits to the Central Bank of Mexico and the Ministry of Finance, policy seminars with experts, and interactions with local faculty and students. They will also visit financial services and consumer goods companies. The aim of the program is to demonstrate how trade policy, macroeconomic policy, and institutions interact within one of the United States' major trading partners.
Cultural components include guided visits to Teotihuacan, Chapultepec Castle, Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo Museum), and Xochimilco, plus attendance at Ballet Folklórico performances and exploration of traditional markets and historic neighborhoods.
Any alumni in Mexico City who would like to meet our students are encouraged to get in touch (copelman@umd.edu; sscandiz@umd.edu).
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New Ways for Alumni to Support Current Students
For four years, the Economics Leadership Council affiliate program has created opportunities for alumni to act as mentors to current students, meeting with students several times during the year. While successful—mentoring nearly 100 students so far—we recognize that this model doesn't suit everyone.
Alumni can now join by committing to two annual activities instead of ongoing mentoring. Options include workshops, class visits, alumni panels, information sessions, informational interviews, and career development initiatives, all of which we know our students find useful. Career Outreach Strategist Ronda Ansted organizes all these activities.
Interested alumni from any sector should contact Ronda at ransted@umd.edu. Program orientations will be scheduled for the fall and spring.
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Conference Honoring Distinguished University Professor John Haltiwanger
The Department of Economics will host a conference on November 7 to recognize the scholarly contributions of Distinguished University Professor John Haltiwanger. Distinguished University Professor Katharine Abraham and several of Haltiwanger's former graduate students are coordinating this event.
Since joining Maryland in 1987, Haltiwanger has established himself as a leading researcher in labor market dynamics and entrepreneurship, collaborating with over 125 researchers and supervising some 60 Ph.D. dissertations. Through his relationship with the U.S. Census Bureau, John has laid the groundwork for important new statistics on job creation and job destruction, worker flows, and new business formation. His achievements include becoming a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and fellowships in both the Econometric Society and the Society of Labor Economists.
The conference will feature research presentations by former students, collaborators, and colleagues, plus a session on Haltiwanger's professional impact. The day concludes with a dinner, featuring speakers including longtime colleague Bob Schwab, frequent collaborator Steve Davis of the University of Chicago, and former student Teresa Fort of Dartmouth College.
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Join Us for Our Fifth
Moskowitz Lecture
At a time when aid budgets are under increasing pressure globally, the need to make every dollar count has never been more important. Rachel Glennerster – President of the Center for Global Development and former Chief Economist at the UK FCDO – will explore how radical simplification can help deliver more impact. By concentrating efforts and focusing on doing one thing on a larger scale, programs can reduce costs, improve delivery, and reach more people effectively. Her insights offer valuable lessons for Norwegian development cooperation, helping programs achieve more with the resources available.
"Innovations for LMICs and in How We Do Aid"
Date: November 13, 2025
Location: Francis Scott Key, 0106
Time: 3:30-5:00 p.m.
| | | | Faculty and Student Highlights | |
Faculty Research: Long-term
Effects of Parental Divorce
on Children
A new study by Nolan Pope and co-authors identifies large and lasting effects of parental divorce on America's children. The study analyzes over five million children using federal tax and census records. To isolate the effects of divorce exposure, it employs a sibling comparison approach, leveraging the fact that older and younger siblings experience different lengths of time in married and divorced households.
Following divorce, household income decreases by approximately 50%, parents increase work hours, and households relocate more frequently, often moving to economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Exposure to divorce at a younger age reduces a child’s expected adult earnings by 10% and college enrollment by 40%. Additionally, there is increased teen pregnancy, child mortality, and incarceration.
Pope's work has received attention from the Associated Press and Maryland Today.
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Graduate Student Spotlight:
Qian Wang
Qian Wang studies the effectiveness and environmental impact of alternative ways that governments can try to promote innovation. His work combines industrial organization, econometrics, environmental economics and computational methods.
Qian uses data from the Chinese electric vehichle (EV) and battery industries. China subsidizes EV purchases based on battery energy density to promote efficiency. Qian estimates a dynamic model of firms’ innovation choices and EV supply, and then uses the model to evaluate alternative policies and their environmental impact. His results suggest that schemes that targeted research and development activities more directly could have been more effective: consumer subsidies encouraged battery firms to switch to using higher cost rare earth inputs rather than improving the underlying technology.
Qian has been supported through departmental and university funding, including a Summer Research Fellowship and access to the computational resources that are vital for large-scale empirical analysis.
The department provides all students completing their Ph.D.'s with external professional interview training, as well as practice research seminars and support for conferences. If you would like to help in this process, please contact Lumi Stevens (stevens7@umd.edu).
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Combining Academic Excellence with Athletic Achievement
The Department of Economics congratulates Logan McNaney, who recently completed both his undergraduate and master's degrees while establishing himself as a standout athlete on the UMD lacrosse team. McNaney's six-year journey demonstrates how students can successfully balance rigorous academic coursework with competitive athletics.
During the lacrosse team's centennial season, McNaney served as goalkeeper and contributed to notable victories against nationally ranked opponents including Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, and Penn State.
McNaney's performance in the 2025 NCAA final against Cornell earned him recognition as a member of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team. His dual commitment to the study of economics and athletic excellence exemplifies the department's support for students pursuing diverse interests alongside their academic goals.
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Undergraduate Research:
AI and Labor Markets
Recent economics graduate William Ratnavale completed an honors thesis examining how employer demand for job tasks changed following ChatGPT's introduction. Working under Professor Katharine Abraham's supervision, he analyzed tens of millions of U.S. job descriptions from 2020-2024, using natural language processing to categorize tasks and track their prevalence across establishments.
The research revealed distinctive patterns in AI's labor market impact. Unlike previous technological advances that primarily displaced routine tasks, ChatGPT's release corresponded with reduced demand for nonroutine analytical work and increased demand for routine manual tasks. This suggests that generative AI may affect the labor market very differently than past innovation.
The thesis earned two honors: the Sujon Guha Memorial Award for Academic Excellence and Outstanding Leadership, and the Winston Family Honors Paper Award. A UMD Honors Research Grant supported Ratnavale's presentation at the Midwest Economics Association conference.
Following graduation, Ratnavale joined Harvard's Opportunity Insights as a Pre-Doctoral Fellow, working with Professors Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, and John Friedman before pursuing doctoral studies.
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