Department News

Graduate Student Research Conference on December 5, 2008

Nine graduate students in ECON 610 and ECON 662 will be giving presentations at a graduate research conference this Friday, December 5, 2008, from 8:30am to noon in the Miller Room (Saunders 515). The research conference is entitled, "New Frontiers in Economic Development and International Finance."

For more information, please see the flyer.

posted on December 2, 2008

Professor James Mak's Group Research Class Project to be Presented at Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium

Professor James Mak is currently teaching ECON 496, a group research class. The seventeen students enrolled in this course are doing a research project on Norwegian Cruise Line's attempt to secure a monopoly in the Hawaii cruise market by lobbying for a change in the 122-year-old Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).

The group research project will be presented at the upcoming Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. One team of students will do a poster presentation, while a second group of students will present an oral presentation.

To learn more about the PVSA amendment that Professor Mak's class is researching, please see the ECON 496 class syllabus.

Congratulations to Professor Mak and his ECON 496 students!

posted on November 28, 2008

Alumnus Nipon Poapongsakorn Appointed President of the Thailand Development Research Institute

Congratulations to Nipon Poapongsakorn on being appointed President of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI)! Poapongsakorn, who received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawai‘i in Fall 1979, was formerly the Dean of Economics Faculty at Thammasat University.

The TDRI was established in 1984 to conduct policy research and disseminate results to the public and private sectors. TDRI is Thailand's first policy research institute; it was conceived, created and registered as a non-profit, non-governmental foundation and is recognized as such by the Royal Thai Government. The Institute provides technical and policy analysis that supports the formulation of policies with long-term implications for sustaining social and economic development in Thailand. You can view their website online at http://www.tdri.or.th/.

posted on October 22, 2008

Professor John Lynham's Research Featured in The New York Times and The Economist

A study co-authored by our own Professor John Lynham was featured prominently in today's The New York Times newspaper and The Economist magazine. The study, co-authored by UC-Santa Barbara professors Christopher Costello and Steven Gaines, showed that a fisheries strategy called "catch shares," or "Individual Transferable Quotas" can halt or even reverse the collapse of fisheries.

You can read both The New York Times article and The Economist article and editorial online. You can also view the study by Professor Lynham and his co-authors online at the Science Magazine website.

The story was also featured on Hawaii Public Radio and KHNL NBC 8; both stories are available online.

posted on September 19, 2008

The Department of Economics Mourns the Loss of DoAnne Sanchez

DoAnne Sanchez as an MA student at UH, circa 1991

Department of Economics graduate, friend and colleague, Dr. Dolores Anne (DoAnne) Sanchez, passed away at the age of 44 on Sept. 7, 2008. At the time of her passing, DoAnne was on leave from her position at Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC), Division of Insurance and Research, Washington, DC where she served as a financial economist since earning her Ph.D. from University of Hawai‘i in 2005.

DoAnne's life was entwined with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Hawai‘i State Legislature and the larger Honolulu community for more than twenty years and she leaves an indelible impression of love and deep friendship upon all who knew her. DoAnne received her B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Hawai‘i in 1987 followed by many years of service as a researcher for leading policy-makers in the Hawai‘i State Senate. DoAnne will be best remembered by the economics faculty for dogged pursuit of her graduate studies while often working full-time for the State Senate, earning both M.A and Ph.D. degrees.

DoAnne entered the Economics Department in Ph.D. program in 1999 and finished with an impressive dissertation. Using the workhorse New Keynesian macroeconomic model, DoAnne studied the degree of wage and price rigidity in the Japanese economy and the role of Monetary Policy in dealing with Japan's deflationary period since 1995. During her graduate career, DoAnne taught numerous undergraduate courses, served as a teaching assistant, worked as a research assistant with the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization, and in her last year at UH was the recipient of the Campbell Dissertation Award in Economics. DoAnne received her Ph.D. in Economics in 2005 and began her professional career as an economist at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Washington D.C. She was dearly loved by her friends, colleagues and professors at the University. We all miss her very much. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. September 16, 2008 at Our Lady of Peace Memorial Park in Yona, Guam.

posted on September 19, 2008

UHM Economics Students Attend ATHGO's 2008 Global Forum at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C.

 

In July 2008, four students from the UHM Department of Economics were selected to participate in the ATHGO International 2008 Global Forum, "Miracles of Development: The Effects of Good Governance and Capacity Building on Economic Development" at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C.

UHM undergraduate student, Laura Saiki-Chaves, was the lead writer on a team business proposal that took second place for "The North Ugandan Seed Loan Program," a policy proposal to the Ugandan Department of Farm Management. The team determined that the main problem facing individuals is lack of access to seeds, and designed an exchange program whereby farmers could borrow seeds on the condition that they would return a portion of the seeds after harvest.

The UHM participants included two undergraduate students, Laura Saiki-Chaves and Darryl Tay and two PhD candidates, Geri Mason and Min Min Thaw. "We are proud of our students," said Department of Economics Chair, Gerard Russo. "They applied their economic training to consequential problems of poverty and economic development and came up with solutions that were deemed among the best." UH Manoa students were selected based on outstanding academic achievement and a commitment to economic development.

[Full story by Ph.D. Candidate Min Min Thaw and Professor Denise Eby Konan...]

 

posted on August 29, 2008

Photos from the Econ Department Co-Sponsored WEAI Conference Reception at the Waikiki Aquarium

Professor Denise Konan has kindly donated more than 180 beautiful photos from the WEAI Conference Reception that the Department of Economics co-sponsored (along with UHERO and the Shidler College of Business). The photos can be seen in the photo section of our Department Centennial Website.

posted on August 29, 2008

Economics Department Co-Sponsors Successful WEAI Conference Reception

The Department of Economics, together with the Shidler College of Business and UHERO, sponsored a reception on June 30 for the WEAI's (Western Economic Association International) 2008 annual conference, which was held in Hawaii. An excess 200 people attended this reception at the Waikiki Aquarium, which was a great success.

The WEAI sent a letter to thank the University for sponsoring this event. You can view this letter online in PDF format. The economics department would like to extend a huge mahalo to the many graduate student volunteers that made this event possible, and to Professor Denise Konan for coordinating this event.

posted on July 25, 2008

Congratulations to our Spring 2008 Department Award Winners!

The Department of Economics would like to extend a big mahalo to everyone who came out to the Spring 2008 semester-end party! Over a dozen undergraduate and graduate students were honored with various awards. To see a list of award winners, please see our spring 2008 awards page!

  

To view photos from the end of semester party, see our Centennial Website's photo gallery.

posted on July 21, 2008

Professor Ilan Noy's Work Mentioned in Boston Globe Article

An article published in the Boston Globe on July 6, 2008 about the effect of national disasters on economies mentions work by our own Professor Ilan Noy. Professor Noy argues that the natural disasters hurt growth in the short term, and can barely be said to have any effect over the long run. You can read the article online at the Boston Globe website by clicking here.

posted on July 11, 2008

Econ Alum Roger Hill Receives MBA From University of Pennsylvania

Roger Hill, who graduated with a BA in economics in 1997, e-mailed that he has received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. He writes "I often remember the training I received in the (University of Hawaii) economics department on how to be a skeptic and question not only results but origin of data. This skepticism has served me well over the years." He resides in Utah with his wife and 4 children, and works for a Chicago investment management firm. Congratulations, Roger, for your most recent achievement.

posted on July 7, 2008

New Book by Professor James Mak on Hawaii Tourism Now Available

Econ professor, James Mak is the author of a new book, Developing a Dream Destination: Tourism and Tourism Policy Planning in Hawaii. Published by UH Press, the book was recently featured in Pacific Business News. Read the full story.

Richard R. Perdue, editor of the Journal of Travel Research and board chair of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, said of Professor Mak's book, "I consider this to be 'hands down' the best book that I've read on the policy process of tourism development. It will become a mandatory reading for any serious student of tourism and tourism development. It should be mandatory reading for planners and policy makers in areas developing their tourism industry. It is truly the best book manuscript that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in the past several years. My congratulations to Professor Mak both for the level and quality of research and for the insights into the processes of tourism development."

You can order the book at Amazon.com or from the UH Press.

posted on June 7, 2008

Econ Alumna Pauline Sheldon Wins Prestigious Ulysses Award

Dr. Pauline Sheldon accepts the Ulysses Prize at the UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid.

Congratulations to Pauline Sheldon, a graduate of our Ph.D. program. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) just awarded her its prestigious Ulysses Prize in recognition of her contributions to tourism research and education. Professor Sheldon's work and studies focus on how tourism enterprises, educational institutions, organizations and governments can obtain best results in a sector with huge potential and enormous challenges.

On her research area, Professor Sheldon said, "A lot has been accomplished, but the awakening of tourism is still not complete. We need to act within the framework of developing education, governmental tourism policies and tourism enterprises towards the promotion of values ranging from transparency and innovation, to sustainability and responsibility."

Pauline Sheldon received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Hawaii in 1984. She currently serves as a Professor of Tourism at University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management. She is also the president of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. Pauline is also the co-founder of TRINET, an electronic list-serve that connects over 1,000 leading tourism scholars around the world.

The Ulysses Prize is awarded by the United Nations World Tourism Organization to distinguished scholars who have shown outstanding contributions to knowledge in tourism." Pauline received her prize in Madrid, Spain at a gala awards ceremony attended by dignitaries and the press.

posted on June 5, 2008

Graduate Student Quang Nguyen Receives Honorable Mention in IIFET 2008 Vietnam Best Student Paper Award

One of our graduate students, Quang Nguyen, was named an Honorable Mention for the IIFET 2008 Vietnam Best Student Paper Award, for his paper, "Do Fishermen Have Different Attitude Toward Risk? An Application of Prospect Theory to the Study of Vietnamese Fisher." Nguyen will be honored at the IIFET 2008 Vietnam Conference Awards Ceremony, happening on July 24 at Nha Trang University in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Congratulations on your award, Quang!

posted on May 29, 2008

Econ Alumna Natalia Tamirisa Gets Published in "Finance & Development"

Natalia Tamirisa, who received her Ph.D. in economics from UH-Manoa in 1997, is a Deputy Divison Chief in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Research Department. A recent paper by Tamirisa on "Climate Change and the Economy" appears in the March 2008 issue of Finance and Development. You can read her article online on the F&D Website.

posted on May 21, 2008

Economics Club Hosts Successful Career Night

Professor Theresa Greaney speaking at Career Night

The Economics Club hosted Career Night May 7. We had 33 guests and 11 speakers with presentations on internships, jobs and other opportunities for economics department graduates in the private sector, public sector, and academia. The attendees made some valuable contacts, heard about great job opportunities, asked lots of questions, and enjoyed delicious food. Congratulations to Econ Club officers Austin Bunag (president), Shelby Shinkawa (vice president), Amy Brinker (secretary), and Wayne Adams (treasurer) and the Economics Club members for putting together such a successful event!

posted on May 19, 2008