SMU Faculty Research in the News

For business owners that don’t regularly get repeat customers, such as real estate agents, does being transparent about past business make them more or less likely to make a sale that benefits both them and the buyer? That is the question Dr. Roy and coauthor address in their recent paper “Repeated Trading: Transparency and Market Structure“. SMU Research News summarizes some of their insights here.

Santanu Roy named Robert H. and Nancy Dedman Professor in Economics

The Dean and Provost have named Santanu Roy the Robert H. and Nancy Dedman Professor in Economics. This is an endowed position given to a faculty member in recognition of their outstanding research accomplishments. Roy has firmly established himself as an international leader in microeconomic theory, and is expected to continue to make significant contributions to the discipline.

Human Trafficking Data Conference a huge success

The SMU Human Trafficking Data Research (HTDR) Project Team and volunteers hosted the first-of-its-kind SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference! It was an amazing 2-day event of human trafficking experts working together to learn, ask questions, and network. Researchers, practitioners, law enforcement and governmental officials, nonprofit organizations, data scientists, and other stakeholders met to discuss the quality, availability, and efficacy of human trafficking data.

2024 Caren Prothro Faculty Service Award given to Wheaton-Paramo

 

Beth Wheaton-Paramo was be honored with the 2024 Caren Prothro Faculty Service Award at the Dedman College Faculty Meeting on May 6, 2024 The award is given annually to a full-time faculty member in Dedman College for a record of exceptional service to SMU and the DFW community.  The 2024 Award is shared by Wheaton-Paramo and Professor Darryl Dickson-Carr, a faculty member in the English Department.

Nathan Balke, 2007 Dedman Family Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, to serve as Dean ad interim of Dedman College

Nathan Balke, 2007 Dedman Family Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, has agreed to serve as Dean ad interim of Dedman College effective June 1, 2024, until a permanent dean has been named.
Professor Balke has twice been department chair in Economics, from 2000 – 2006, and again from 2010 – 2013. He has also been a Research Associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas since 1994 and currently chairs the Faculty Senate’s All-University Finance Committee. His research areas are in macroeconomics and applied time series analysis, and he teaches courses in macroeconomics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Nathan brings a wealth of experience to this position, and we are so proud he will be serving as interim Dean!

Research Article by Professor Roy Forthcoming in Top Economics Journal

Professor Santanu Roy’s recent paper, co-authored with Ayca Kaya, is forthcoming in the American Economic Review. Their paper “Repeated Trading: Transparency and Market Structure” introduces a framework whereby market structure and rent play critical roles in determining whether reliable records of past trading volumes in markets improve efficiency.

The American Economic Review is the flagship journal of the American Economic Association and is one of the most prestigious in the discipline. Congratulations to Professor Roy!

Dr. Mea Ahlberg Nominated for Prestigious Award

Dr. Ahlberg has been nominated for the 2024 HOPE Award. HOPE stands for Honoring Our Professor’s Excellence and is the highest recognition a student can bestow on a faculty member.

Residence Life and Student Housing believes that it is important to highlight those professors who have gone above and beyond in their role. The HOPE Banquet is an opportunity each spring for students from all residential communities to celebrate faculty excellence and involvement in the student experience at SMU.

Beth Wheaton-Paramo and team publish in Empirical Economics!

Beth Wheaton-Paramo, team lead for the SMU Human Trafficking Data Research (HTDR) Program, and her colleagues have published a paper in Empirical Economics this month. 

Using data housed in the newly created SMU Human Trafficking Data Warehouse, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Southern Methodist University and University College Dublin used count time series regression modeling to explain the effects of economic factors on the counts on federal sex trafficking-related convictions in the U.S.  This adds to the growing body of research being done within the SMU Human Trafficking Data Research (HTDR) Project.