Berry Center hosts Applied Economic Symposium

MOUNT VERNON – Two economists will speak at Cornell College’s Berry Center Applied Economic Symposium “Human Health and Economic Development: Lessons from Africa” on April 15, at 3 and 7 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Jane Fortson, Ph.D., (above, left) will discuss “The Economic Consequences of HIV/AIDS” at 3 p.m. in Hedges Conference Room, The Commons. Erica Field, Ph.D., (above, right) will then deliver the lecture “Power of a Pill: Iodine Deficiency, Schooling Attainment, and Economic Development” in Ringer Recital Studio, Armstrong Hall.

The symposium is sponsored by The Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy.

Fortson is a Becker Center Fellow in Price Theory at the University of Chicago. She has previously presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference and the World Bank.

Field is an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University and has studied development economics, labor economics, economic demography, and health.

The Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy is the centerpiece of a distinctive academic program that provides students with exceptional training in applied economics and public policy, with a special emphasis on experiential learning. It seeks to teach students how economic analysis is applied to decision-making in business and the public sector. The objective is to enhance the ability of Cornell students to bridge the gap between theory and practice in their academic program. In doing so, Cornell produces first-rate liberal arts graduates who are well-prepared for graduate study or the workplace, ultimately embarking on successful careers in business and public policy. The Berry Center has previously hosted Nobel Laureate Robert Solow, Jesse Shapiro, Emily Oster, and Kevin Murphy, among others.