Department of Economics, Spears Business

🎓 OPEC 2026 at OU

On May 14, our PhD students participated in the OU–OSU PhD Students Conference (OPEC) hosted at the University of Oklahoma. Three of our PhD students (Pierce Plucker, Akseli DeBlieck, and Md Mahbubul Alam) presented their papers. We had a wonderful time connecting with our colleagues at the OU Economics Department.

Congrats to all our students who presented and thank you to the OU for inviting us!

Ending the year the best way we know how — good food and even better company 🧡

The Econ faculty gathered for lunch as we wrap up the academic year. We’re sad to see Dr. Qiyao Zhuo leave and wish him all the best in this next chapter.

Have a great summer! ☀️😎

Congratulations, Class of 2026!🎉🎓

We celebrate all your hard work (all those hours spent on mastering graphs and models!). We are so proud of everything you have achieved at the OSU and are excited to see how you thrive in your next chapter.

Thank you for letting us walk with you during your journey. Go Pokes🧡

I see someone familiar 😄
Our department head, Dr. J.B. Kim at Spears event!

Quick review: how the demand curve shifts during finals week 📈☕️

Stay hydrated, and good luck on your finals!

We were honored to host Dr. Hanzhe Zhang from Michigan State University Department of Economics for our Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series yesterday at the Spears School of Business.

Dr. Zhang presented his research on “Educational Rat Race, Positional Externalities, and Intergenerational Mobility” on how education expenditure affects job quality in the future. We had a wonderful time discussing the topic and learning about this topic.

Thank you again to Dr. Zhang for sharing his insightful research with us and spending time with us!

Today, we gathered to celebrate the launch of the Weidner Business and Real Estate Center at the Spears School of Business. We had a wonderful time hearing from real estate experts about future career and their experience.

This center was made possible by a transformational gift from Dean Weidner, whose $10 million donation is helping shape the future of real estate education at OSU. 

We also take a moment to honor his legacy following his passing last month. His impact will continue through the students and programs he helped build.

Last week, we were excited to have Dr. Qihong Liu from University of Oklahoma to share his recent research on the restaurants’ reputations on review platforms.

Thank you, Dr. Liu, for an excellent seminar and for sharing your research with our community!

Last weekend, Dr. Minhae Kim visited Boston to present her paper at the International Industrial Organization Conference. She presented her latest research on the impact of AI in the airline industry—highlighting how AI adoption can shape service quality, ticket fares, and even environmental outcomes.

Excited to see cutting-edge topics in economics!🧡✈️

Exciting news! A recent paper by Dr. Harunan Kazianga on child vaccinations in Burkina Faso has been highlighted by Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccination.

A powerful reminder that immunization impacts not just health, but children’s future opportunities and success🌎🧡 Congrats!🎉

Check out the coverage here: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/immunisation-education-how-vaccines-shape-childrens-futures