Economics Research and Study Opportunities

Thousands of study and academic opportunities in Economics are available internationally. Conferences and summer schools in Economics are organized regularly in the best academic centers of the world. The majority of universities and many foundations also offer BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs in Economics as wells as postdoctoral research grants, awards, and fellowships. Below you will find the updated list of international opportunities available in Economics.

Scholarships in Economics

Fellowships in Economics

Conferences in Economics

Economics Relevant Accounts on Twitter

What is Economics about?

Economics is the discipline everyone should be at least well aware of, as it's tightly related to humans' everyday life. Once you look at your wallet and decide what to buy today, you already interact with economics. In general, all the activities related to financial decision-making and income distribution relate to the discipline. 

To explore and organize human behavior in the conditions of unlimited needs and limited resources, economics developed as a discipline in the 19th century. It is classified as one of the most scientific social sciences because economics is based on mathematics, data, and sophisticated models.

Economics is the scientific approach to how people allocate finite resources for the most important life spheres like production, distribution, and consumption. It has a rather broad area of study and can be described as a combination of politics, sociology, psychology, and history. 

The most accurate formulation of economics' mission is to increase the working process's efficiency and productivity, both at individual and collective levels. Economists work to bring society closer to the golden rule: maximum result with minimal resources. 

Micro/Macro Economics

Micro and Macro Economics are the two major subdivisions of the discipline. Generally, both study the same life areas and questions on a small and large scale. More academic explanation of the two terms comes below. 

Microeconomics studies the individual consumer's & firms' behavior and decision-making in the market, considering the individual preferences and existing market constraints. In particular, microeconomics tries to answer the following questions:

  • How is the supply-demand relationship organized?
  • How economic units (people and organizations) respond to price fluctuations?
  • Why are different goods valued differently?
  • What affects the price formulations?
  • What drives the individual's financial decisions?
  • How people approach uncertainty or risk?

Macroeconomics studies the whole economy as one unit and the factors influencing it. The primary levels of macroeconomic studies are national, regional, and global economies. Macroeconomics focuses on economic cycles and economic developments & crises. Its main study areas include:

  • Unemployment
  • Inflation
  • Monetary and fiscal policies
  • Foreign trade 
  • Inflation and interest rates
  • Economic expansions, booms, recessions, and depressions. 

Subdivisions of Economics

A discipline as broad as economics can't be limited with a simple classification to micro and macro level, as described above. A more detailed list of the leading economics subdivisions will better introduce the discipline and hint you at the academic direction you may choose. 

  • Applied Economics applies economic theory and econometrics to solve different issues.
  • Development Economics constructs development models for low-income countries. 
  • Econometrics extracts inferences from statistical evidence with the help of mathematics, statistical, and computer methods. 
  • Economic Theory combines quantitative economic models with economic phenomena.
  • Environmental Economics studies the effect of global environmental issues on economic policies.
  • Experimental Economics tests economic theories in practice fields.
  • Game Theory the rival relationship between different economic units. 
  • International Economics relates to the history of trade, payments and exchange rates, and other means of international economics. 
  • Labor Economics is concerned about the formation and distribution of wages, worker incentives, and other labor-related issues.
  • Public Economics explores how government policies influence the economy. 
  • Regional and Urban Economics focus on education, housing, local government finance, and similar areas from economics.

Career applications for Economists

You read above what economists learn and study, so you might estimate the considerable number of practical fields that need the economists' knowledge and skills. That is the rational explanation why an economist's profession is so widespread and why the academic programs in economics are always in demand.

A degree in economics teaches the life-essential skills of rational and analytical thinking, which lie at the base of any successful business, finance, or public sector. Therefore, economists can imply their knowledge in any of the mentioned fields. They can work as university professors, government advisors, business consultants, or private-sector employees of all levels. 

The most common employers for the economics graduate include banks, insurance, accountant firms, small and large businesses of all fields, and governmental organizations. 

Regardless of the work occupation, a good economist should identify financial risks and make data-driven predictions on what investments can be profitable in the future. Those are especially valued in the areas of business planning and marketing. 

21st-century economists should also work on their skills and understanding of Big Data. As with many other spheres, economists' workstyle will and is already partially modified due to this relatively new phenomenon. 

In particular, economists should make more precise decisions by analyzing the large volumes of data and identify patterns for better forecasts. Many of the spheres where the big data techniques are already implied are customer behavior, the spread of diseases, financial market trends, etc. 

We hope that the Economics opportunities collected in this section of ARMACAD will navigate you through the large discipline and help you find the economics narration more suitable to your career goals.