Fidan Ana Kurtulus, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and founding co-director of the University of Massachusetts Center for Employment Equity, was invited to speak on a panel of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM Organizations on April 21, 2022. Professor Kurtulus, who is an expert in US legal and regulatory structures on antidiscrimination and gender and race employment diversity, spoke about research evidence on the efficacy of government and firm policies that promote racial equity at workplaces. The project was spurred by efforts of the Chairwoman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and the Committee has been tasked by the National Academies to address bias and racism in STEM workplaces and offer approaches to increase racial and ethnic diversity at STEM workplaces.
Associate Professor Ina Ganguli was interviewed for an NPR Marketplace story "Ukrainians in the U.S. have found new ways to send money to loved ones back home" Western Union is now allowing money sent to Ukraine to be picked up in neighboring countries. But because of steep costs, some Ukrainians abroad have found alternatives to usual remittance services. Major players in the remittance industry have responded to all the turmoil, according to Ina Ganguli “During the war, it seems like a lot of these companies have made changes to make it easier,” she said. 
The Department of Economics recently lost a deeply appreciated and loved member of our community. Prof. Lisa Saunders passed away unexpectedly this May. Lisa set an outstanding example on how to use research and teaching to make economics a better and more inclusive discipline and to make the world more just. She was devoted to students, inspiring some to become economists and encouraged all students to think more critically about economics and the economy.
Economics Professor Jayati Ghosh has been named to the 12-member board, which will be supported in its work by the Centre for Policy Research of the United Nations University in close coordination with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. UN chief Guterres on Friday announced the establishment of the Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism to be co-chaired by former Liberian president and Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven. The board will be supported in its work by the Centre for Policy Research of the United Nations University in close coordination with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. 
The sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its aggression in Ukraine highlight the crucial role of transnational finance in enabling corrupt and autocratic regimes to flourish. Assets held abroad by specific members of the Russian elite have been frozen because they “shared in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin,” as U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh explains, “and they will now share in the pain.” But after-the-fact efforts to identify and freeze the foreign assets of individual oligarchs are not enough: we also can and should do more to stem the massive influx of dirty money from throughout the world into Western economies. The breadth and depth of the sanctions announced so far have been constrained by fears of collateral damage not only to the Russian populace but also to Western economies. The reluctance of Germany and others to face energy shortages, for example, has prevented use of the “nuclear option” of fully blocking Russian access to SWIFT, the worldwide electronic banking network used to pay for imported gas and oil. 
Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow at The Political Economy Research Institute of University of Massachusetts James K. Boyce was interviewed by Faith Family America on Climate Mitigation. Boyce points out that policies for climate adaptation are necessary. There are also intermediate steps that can help climate stabilization. These include carbon pricing and the adoption of a universal basic-income scheme to combat the effects of global warming. 
UMass Amherst Econ PhD Candidate Nicolás Bohme will be named Coordinator of Tax Policy at the Ministry of Finance in the new government of President Gabriel Boric in Chile. Bohme will lead an ambitious progressive tax-reform program, which is among the new Government's highest priorities for structural reform. The new administration seeks to finance productive economic transformation and expansion of the Chilean welfare state through a package of taxes on capital income, wealth, and natural resources extraction, especially copper, which represents almost half of Chilean exports. According to Bohme, “The reforms will finance the government program in a fiscally responsible manner and align us with other developed countries in terms of progressivity and revenue as a percentage of GDP." Bohme also emphasized the fairness of the plan. "The fundamental consensus is that any increase in tax collection must be carried out with progressive instruments." Progressive taxation means that higher-income households pay a higher share of their incomes in taxes. 
2022 Philip Gamble Memorial Lecture