Info for Graduate Students

If you are interested in working with me (i.e. having me as your dissertation committee chair/co-chair), you are expected to

  1. have passed all the qualifying examinations,

  2. have taken or be taking second-year courses in micro theory, macro theory (if offered), time series (if offered) and some applied/empirical topics (e.g., labor),

  3. have knowledge on the relevant literature and a clear and specific topic to work on,

  4. have the relevant programming skills, and

  5. submit a 20-page research proposal with preliminary results.

You are also expected to read and reread the following books:

    1. Universal Economics by Armen A. Alchian and William R. Allen (2018, Liberty Fund),

    2. Price Theory and Applications: Decisions, Markets, and Information by Jack Hirshleifer , Amihai Glazer and David Hirshleifer (2005, Cambridge), and

    3. Economical Writing by Deidre McCloskey (2019, U of Chicago).

You are expected to approach me before the end of the Spring semester of your second year, and I will not accept any student after that.

Once I have accepted your proposal and agreed to work with you, starting from your third year you are expected to

    1. work about 60 hours each week on your research,

  1. report your progress to me each week,

  2. read a paper that is highly related to your topic each week,

  3. try to finish your third-year paper around Spring break,

  4. try to get one paper published before you go on the market, and

  5. finish your job market paper before the start of your fifth year.

If you fail to do any of the above, you have violated our "contract" and I may quit your dissertation committee.