Welcome
Welcome to the Department of Economics at Iowa State University. We provide the intellectual home to a set of dedicated and talented faculty, motivated and extremely capable staff, and a diverse group of enthusiastic undergraduate and graduate students.
What is Economics?
Economics is the study of what individuals, institutions, and economic systems do, or should do, as they deal with the problem of satisfying virtually unlimited wants with scarce resources. Economics deals with choices and optimization, typically embedded in a market system where the notion of equilibrium is essential and where prices play a crucial role. Economics provides a logical and ordered way of looking at a wide variety of issues, and the principles of economics are finding growing applicability in a number of fields. An understanding of economic concepts can provide substantial personal and social benefits.
Jacobs takes on new role in cooperatives
"It is wonderful to have the opportunity to work on the important issues facing cooperatives and thus the producers in our state. Cooperatives play an integral role in our economy and I am looking so forward to engaging with them in a way that supports and contributes to their continued success." - Keri Jacobs, assistant professor, ISU Department of Economics
Ken Stone, an Iowa State emeritus economics professor; and Georgeanne Artz, a visiting assistant professor of economics in ISU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, have authored a new study comparing retail sales in Iowa communities 15 years before and after Wal-Mart entry into a community. While host towns showed moderate increases in total retail sales in the 15 years following the stores' opening, the study found that neighboring communities without Wal-Mart stores have also seen their sales largely stabilized during the same 15-year period. Read the full story here by Mike Ferlazzo, ISU News Service: 