The Economics and Political Science Departments co-hosted a conference on political economy last month. The conference featured research papers by leading economists and political scientists from around the country. Participants discussed research related to elections in different countries, including vote buying in Uganda, voting technology in Ghana, campaign advertising in the US, and voter response to government services in India. The conference featured presentations by researchers from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, the  University of California – Los Angeles, the University of California - Berkeley, Duke University, and Columbia University, among others, and invited discussions by faculty from Texas institutions including University of Houston, Rice University, and University of Texas at Austin.

In a well-attended event, Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw, who is recognized as the 23rd most influential economist in the world, presented a talk entitled "Today’s Economy and Its Discontents." He discussed a number of reasons why, even though inflation and unemployment are both low, people are dissatisfied with current economic conditions. These include slow economic growth since the Great Recession and stagnant wages for less educated workers since the 1970s. He was doubtful that President Trump’s economic agenda would help reverse these trends.