Mark Thoma

Mark Thoma is a member of the Economics Department at the University of Oregon. He joined the UO faculty in 1987 and served as head of the Economics Department for five years. His research examines the effects that changes in monetary policy have on inflation, output, unemployment, interest rates and other macroeconomic variables with a focus on asymmetries in the response of these variables to policy changes, and on changes in the relationship between policy and the economy over time. He has also conducted research in other areas such as the relationship between the political party in power, and macroeconomic outcomes and using macroeconomic tools to predict transportation flows. He received his doctorate from Washington State University.

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Mark Thoma's Latest Articles

Fed Watch: Starting on an Ugly Note

Jan 5, 2009 · 0 Comments 

Will the economic recovery package be too “fleeting”: By Tim Duy · January 5, 2009: The only certainty for the New Year is that policymakers will continue... >>>

When the Normal Rules are Turned Upside Down

Jan 1, 2009 · 0 Comments 

Samuel Brittan: The problem with all this economic doom and gloom, by Samuel Brittan, Commentary, Financial Times: …I cannot claim to have foreseen the financial... >>>

Battling Bubbles and Crashes

Dec 30, 2008 · 0 Comments 

Roger Farmer says the Fed needs to target an asset price index “to prevent bubbles and crashes”: How to prevent the Great Depression of 2009, by Roger... >>>

Was Risk Misperceived, Misrepresented, or Misallocated?

Dec 29, 2008 · 0 Comments 

We know that excessive risk taking was a factor in the financial crisis, but why people were willing to take on excessive risk? There are several explanations for... >>>

Are Workers Unwilling to Work?

Dec 29, 2008 · 0 Comments 

I am going to go out on a limb and assume this is the result of unintended inventory accumulation rather than, say, firms building up inventories in anticipation... >>>

The Value of Reliable Information

Dec 22, 2008 · 0 Comments 

Analysts writing about the credit crisis often have more certainty about the source of the problems in financial markets than I think is warranted. Thus, rather... >>>

The Pursuit of Wealth

Dec 21, 2008 · 0 Comments 

By Tim Duy · December 21, 2008: An unusually quiet Sunday morning – the kids are with their grandparents, leaving me with a chance to think of something beyond... >>>

Fed Watch: Zero, But Not Quite Quantitative Easing

Dec 19, 2008 · 0 Comments 

Can the Fed’s current policy be described as quantitative easing?: By Tim Duy · December 18, 2008: On the surface, the Fed’s recent statement should not... >>>

Fed Watch: What If the Analogy is Wrong?

Dec 15, 2008 · 0 Comments 

Tim Duy is worried that “the Fed the Fed and Treasury are setting the stage for a disorderly adjustment of the Dollar”: By Tim Duy · December 15, 2008: I... >>>

Which is Best, Monetary Policy, Government Spending, or Tax Cuts?

Dec 13, 2008 · 0 Comments 

Keynes did not have much faith in the ability of monetary policy to lift an economy out of a recession: The Remedist, by Robert Skidelsky, NY Times Magazine: Among... >>>