What is Economics?
Economics is the study of human energy—how we organize our efforts to get what we want. Market exchange plays a central role in this process, but processes of conflict and coordination that take place outside of markets are also important.
Patrick L. Mason to Receive Prestigious Westerfield Award for Lifetime Achievement in Economics
The National Economic Association (NEA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Patrick L. Mason, Chair and professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has been awarded the Samuel Z. Westerfield Award. The award honors Black economists whose academic and professional contributions emanate excellence and dedication to the advancement of Black people and expanding the knowledge regarding the Black economic experience.
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Statement on Racist Violence and Social Exclusion
Black Lives Matter. We declare and affirm this truth in the face of any verbal or material attempt to deny it. The current tragedies and structures of violence, exclusion and exploitation of Black people were made by human actors. They date back to colonial times and slavery but persist to today. Teaching and research in the economics profession have often served to legitimize such structures portraying them as the outcome of the free and fair play of the market. The UMass Economics Department has a long tradition of research dedicated to uncovering structures of oppression, exploitation, exclusion and violence. This tradition must be rethought and adapted to place racial injustice at the center, as a dimension that should not be overlooked.