Economics @ X in the News

StFX student, Harlee Melinchuk, awarded Bank of Canada Master's Scholarship for Women in Economics and Finance.

StFX Economics students career placements celebrated
Employment success stories of recent X Econ students are detailed in recent university news, including an interview with graduate Bethany Madsen. Seven students have secured jobs with the Bank of Canada since 2014.

Current research by StFX Economists Diana Alessandrini and Zeynep Özkök featured in the Winter CWEC Newsletter.

StFX Economics student Liam Elbourne is intereviewed by CBC news to discuss his recent achievement, a Rhodes Scholarship.  

Recently published research by StFX Economics student Liam Elbourne and former StFX faculty Cornelius Christian is featured in The Economist: The rise and the rainfall of the Roman empire.

The Economics of Violence
On January 21, Cornelius Christian spoke to 98.9 XFM about his new course, The Economics of Violence, which is unique in Canada.

Recent Economic Developments
Greg Tkacz appeared on The Rick Howe Show (95.7 FM) to speak about

• The Bank of Canada's policy decision (January 21)
• Exchange rate movements (January 14)

He also spoke to The Casket about recent exchange rate movements (January 21).

Warm Weather Spelled an Ill Wind for Scottish Witches
The latest paper by Professor Cornelius Christian was the feature of a full-length article in The Sunday Times, one of the United Kingdom's biggest newspapers. Another write-up appeared in the Edinburgh Deadline News.

StFX Economics Students Among Finalists for Bank of Canada Governor's Challenge
Four Economics students comprised the StFX team that is advancing to the national finals in Ottawa next February to determine the national champion of the Governor's Challenge. This competition requires teams of students to analyze current economic conditions, forecast key economic variables and provide advice to the Bank's Governing Council on the setting of interest rates. Only five Universities are advancing to the finals out of 22 Universities that entered the competition.

• Read the Bank of Canada's Press Release regarding the finalists
• Read an article in StFX News 

Cole Grbavac Among Top-Eight Academic All-Canadians
StFX hockey captain and Honours BBA student Cole Grbavac recently travelled to Ottawa to accept an award from the Governor General as one of Canada's top student-athletes. Cole is working on his Honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Teng Wah Leo, and received an ACENet fellowship to conduct research with Dr. Leo.

A Productive Week for Economics Students 
In the span of one week, Economics students win top prize at an academic conference; have a paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal; and land a highly coveted position at the Bank of Canada.

About the Economics of Violence
Cornelius Christian appeared on Economics Detective Radio on October 16 to discuss his research on the Economics of Violence.

Who Will Benefit from the TPP?
Greg Tkacz spoke to The Casket on 15 October about the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for Nova Scotia.

Briefing the County About CEA 2017
The Department gave the Municipality of the County of Antigonish a heads-up about the June 2017 CEA meeting; The Casket reported on our presentation on September 24.

On The Rick Howe Show, News 95.7 FM Halifax
Greg Tkacz is frequently called upon to provide expert economic commentary to the listeners of the Rick Howe Show. Some recent topics that he discussed live on the air include:

• The federal budget surplus (September 15)
• Is the Canadian economy in a recession? (September 1)
• Financial market volatility (August 24)
• Recent exchange rate movements (July 31)

Financial Crisis in Greece
Greg Tkacz appeared on 98.9 XFM on 16 July to discuss the financial crisis in Greece.

CEA 2017 Conference
Greg Tkacz spoke with The Casket on 9 July regarding preparations for the 2017 conference of the Canadian Economics Association, to be hosted by the StFX Economics Department.

On the Role of Megaprojects in the Economy
Will megaprojects yield many benefits for Nova Scotia? Greg Tkacz spoke to the Halifax Chronicle-Herald on 6 June.

Planning Begins for the 2017 Canadian Economics Association Conference to be Held at StFX
Greg Tkacz was interviewed by 98.9 XFM on 5 June to discuss plans for this massive conference.

Recent StFX Graduates Receive Top Graduate Awards, Among the Highest in Their Discipline
Gabrielle Vasey (B.Sc. 2014) will receive US$306,000 over five years to complete a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Thomson (B.Sc. 2015) will receive $44,000 to complete an eight-month M.A. program in Economics at the University of Western Ontario.

Economics Expert Weighs In on Budget
Greg Tkacz was interviewed by The Casket following the release of the 2015 federal budget.

Impact of Lower Exchange Rate
Greg Tkacz appeared on the Rick Howe Show (95.7 FM Halifax) on 30 January to discuss the implications.

Impact of Lower Interest Rates
What does the Bank of Canada's decision to lower its policy rate mean for the Nova Scotia economy? Greg Tkacz appeared on the Rick Howe Show (95.7 FM Halifax), 101.5 The Hawk (Port Hawkesbury), 98.9 XFM (Antigonish) and The Sheldon MacLeod Show (95.7 FM Halifax) on 22-23 January, 2015, to discuss the implications.

Economics Professors Receive Over $130,000 to Study the Economic Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Areas
Professors Withey and Rosborough receive $89,000 from Natural Resources Canada, and Withey receives a $42,000 SSHRC grant. They spoke to 98.9 XFM on 12 January, 2015, about their work.

Impact of Lower Oil Prices
Greg Tkacz spoke to 98.9 XFM on 7 January, 2015, about the implications of lower oil prices for Nova Scotia, and was interviewed by The Casket on 14 January.

Municipal Financial Condition Indexes
Greg Tkacz offered his views on Financial Condition Indexes that were developed to get a snapshot of the financial health of Nova Scotia municipalities. The Casket, 22 May, 2014.

Outstanding Teaching Award for Dr. Rosborough 
Our very own Jonathan Rosborough was the recipient of the 2014 StFX Outstanding Teaching Award, which was awarded at convocation on 4 May, 2014. His citation noted that dozens of current and former students nominated him for this award, and that he has consistently received some of the strongest teaching evaluations at StFX. His students describe him as "an amazing teacher", "fun", "helpful", "caring" and "compassionate". His colleagues in the Department of Economics describe him as, no less, "one of the finest Economics teachers in the country."

Michelin Plant Layoffs
Greg Tkacz shares his views about the impending layoff of 500 workers at the Granton, Nova Scotia, Michelin tire factory (March, 2014).

• The New Glasgow News
• The Telegram (St. John's, NL)

The 2014 Federal Budget
Greg Tkacz spoke to The Casket about Economic Action Plan 2014:

• Comments prior to the budget (February 5, 2014)
• Comments after the budget (February 19, 2014)

StFX Student Obtains Coveted Position at the Bank of Canada
Casey Jones, an Honours B.A. candidate in Math and Economics, beat out several hundred students from across the country to land a position at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa.

Views on the U.S. Debt Ceiling
During Vancouver's morning rush hour on October 17, Greg Tkacz spoke with CKNW AM980 on the implications of the 11th-hour agreement to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

Can Google Predict Recessions?
A C.D. Howe Institute Commentary by Greg Tkacz shows that some Google search terms are fairly highly correlated with the 2008-09 recession in real time. This paper generated quite a bit of media interest, with a Canadian Press story being published in dozens of national outlets such as Maclean's, the Toronto Star, the Calgary Herald, CTV News and the Huffington Post. He was also interviewed by radio stations in Antigonish (98.9 XFM), Port Hawkesbury (101.5 The Hawk), Calgary (660 News), Vancouver (News 1130 and CKNW AM980) and Victoria (CFAX 1070), and several other national and international media outlets. Here are a few interesting media links:

• C.D. Howe Press Release
• A story in St FX News 
• An op-ed in the Globe and Mail
• A story in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald
• A story in the Wall Street Journal
• A summary of recent research prepared by Bloomberg
• A story in Mexico's CNNExpansion; in Spanish
• A story in Hungary's Penzugyi Szemle (The Financial Review); in Hungarian
• A story in Nigeria's Greenlight
• A story in the Yukon News
• A Canadian Press story, as it appeared in the Huffington Post
• A second Canadian Press story, as it appeared in Metro

Jon Rosborough Teaches in China 
Professor Jon Rosborough was part of a faculty and student exchange between St FX and two Universities in China. He taught Microeconomic Theory to students at Changzhou University who will later complete their degrees at St FX.

StFX Economics Department Co-hosts Economic Forum on Rural Economic Development in Atlantic Canada
In conjunction with Newspapers Atlantic, the St FX Economics department co-hosted an economic forum titled Rural Redefined on 15 May, 2013. Featured speakers included Ben Cowan-Dewar, manager and developer of Cabot Links in Inverness; Glynn Williams of Authentic Seacoast in Guysborough; and Greg Tkacz, Chair of the Economics Department.

Budget Reaction Continues
Professor Tkacz shared his thoughts on the 2013 federal budget with The Casket.

StFX Economics Department to Host Major National Conference 
In June 2017, the St FX Economics department will host more than 800 economists from Canada and around the world as part of the 51st annual meeting of the Canadian Economics Association. This will be the first time that this major conference will be held at a primarily undergraduate University.

StFX Economics Professors Trace History of the Antigonish Movement in New Book, The Big Picture 
Professors Santo Dodaro and Leonard Pluta (retired) give a comprehensive overview of the Antigonish Movement in a new book published by McGill-Queen's University Press.

Even in Extreme Events, the Tills keep Ringing Up Sales
Professors John Galbraith of McGill University and Greg Tkacz of St FX speak to the Globe and Mail about debit card and cheque payments during three extreme events: the Sept. 11 attacks, the 2003 blackout in Ontario and several U.S. states, and the SARS epidemic centred around Toronto in 2003.

South Sudan Bound: StFX Economics Professor to Advise on Managing Oil Revenue 
StFX professor and Chair of the Economics Department, Dr. Joe Amoako-Tuffour, has been invited to join experts in a conference in South Sudan this October to deliberate on the management of the country’s oil resources.

A Pair of SSHRC Research Grants for St FX Economics 
Dr. Tkacz is the recipient of two SSHRC grants, totaling almost $45,000. The first, a Standard Research Grant, and the second, an Insight Development Grant, will look at the research agendas, "Short-run macroeconomic forecasting" and "How should monetary policy respond to financial stress?" respectively.