Freshman class

Family values

Shannon Seitz, assistant professor of economics

Ph.D., University of Western Ontario

Specialization: Labor economics and economics of the family

Representative publication: "Domestic Violence, Employment, and Divorce," International Economic Review

I became hooked on economics as an undergraduate. In addition to the study of unemployment, inflation, and other topics commonly associated with economics, I discovered that the economic frameworks to which I was exposed as a student provided a natural way of thinking about most decisions that people face during their lifetimes.

In my research I use economic models to study behavior within families. How do individuals decide when to get married and to whom? Why do some couples divorce while others stay together. How are resources shared among family members? Marriage, divorce, childbearing, and other family-related activities are important on an individual basis, but also have major implications for society as a whole. The baby boom provides a great illustration of how the individual decisions of families can have long-lasting economic consequences. It is the link between personal decisions and the impact of these decisions on society that I find fascinating.