Economics offers a consistent, yet flexible framework for understanding scarcity and choice in the economy and society. Since its early application to understanding the growth and wealth of nations more than 200 years ago, modern economics has evolved into a social science that combines a coherent analytical framework with careful analysis of information to understand how economies work and develop.
Economic analysis applies the basic logic of individual choices and market forces to explore the tradeoffs inherent in addressing many of the key concerns on today's agenda: ensuring rising living standards in the developed and developing countries, coping with rapid population growth and identifying the wisest use of scarce environmental resources, among others.
Clark's economics programs, with small class sizes and a faculty dedicated to excellence in both teaching and research, emphasizes developing tools and strategies to understand these tradeoffs.
The Economics Major is designed to achieve this goal through a combination of course work, research opportunities, internships, and an integration with other programs at Clark. The graduate program offers a Ph.D. in economics in a number of fields. Both undergraduate and graduate programs benefit from the dedication of the Economics Faculty Members to bringing research into the classroom. In addition, the The Institute for Economic Studies offers opportunities for access to policy-oriented research on topics of current interest, such as the economic transformation of the former socialist countries.
