Studying Economics at Kenyon

Why are buffalo almost extinct but cattle so plentiful? Do government deficits mortgage our children’s future? Does an increase in the minimum wage help unskilled workers? These are some of the questions economists try to answer.

Economics students learn to build, test and revise models of behavior — of consumers, firms, workers and the government — and examine how these agents interact in markets, both at the individual level in microeconomic analysis and at the economy-wide level in macroeconomic analysis.

By integrating theory, analytical models, data, quantitative research methods and public policy issues, the economics professors at Kenyon help students understand and predict social behavior in the world around them. Students then are able to analyze important social problems like unemployment, pollution, race and gender discrimination, and inflation. This analysis allows them to intelligently evaluate public-policy proposals that are offered as solutions to these problems.

From Game Theory to Board Game

Sitting in Professor Jay Corrigan’s ‘Game Theory’ class, I found the ‘Repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma’ to be a compelling concept, and I was struck with a board game idea. This game would put our greed for immediate satisfaction at odds with our need to make prudent choices. It would require players to weigh their cold, strategic calculations against the social pressure to be honest. This game would become Risky Chicken.

Ben Reingold ’20 Economics major and entrepreneur
Contact
Phone Number
740-427-5656
Location
Department of Economics 
Ascension Hall 
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022