Duncan Thomas, Professor

Duncan Thomas has been a professor of economics at Duke University since 2007. He is also an affiliate of the Duke Global Health Institute, and holds a secondary appointment in public policy studies. Before joining Duke, he worked for UCLA, serving as director of the Center for Health and Development from 2002-2008, director of the California Center for Population Research from 2003-2006, and professor of economics from 2001-2009. He has also been Senior Economist for RAND, and associate professor for the department of economics at Yale University from 1991-1994. Duncan’s research interests focus on development, global health, and population and family economics. He is known specifically for his research on the behavior of family households in low-income settings, focusing specifically on the dynamics, motivations, and consequences of their decision-making. His recent works also explore the effects of “shocks and disasters on a population’s well-being.” He has taken his research projects overseas to study the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia, and to take socio-economic surveys of households in Mexico, for example. Duncan’s projects have received grants and financial support from numerous organizations, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the NSF Human Capita Initiative, the POLICY Project, and the National Institutes of Aging. His most recent collaborative project for 2008-2013 is a longitudinal study of the families of older adults in Mexico. His research has been published within numerous papers and articles, appearing over the years in such prestigious academic journals as the World Bank Economic Review, the American Journal of Public Health, the Economic Journal, and many more. Duncan has earned several honors acknowledging his tendencies toward excellence within his field. He received the Warren C. Scoville Award for Outstanding Teaching at UCLA for 2001 and 2005. He was given the Yale University Senior and Junior Faculty Fellowship, the Alfred P. Sloan Pre-doctoral Fellowship, and the Princeton University Fellowship. On numerous occasions, he has been invited to serve on expert panels for the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. Duncan has several other professional responsibilities outside of his teaching and research. He is currently on the editorial board of the American Economics Journal—Applied Economics, and is associate editor for the Journal of Development Economics and Economical Development and Cultural Change. He also serves as president of the Bureau for Research in the Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD).

Contact Info:

Office Location:	220 Social Sciences
Office Phone:	+1 919 660 1803
Email Address:
Web Page:	http://ipl.econ.duke.edu/dthomas

Teaching (Fall 2009):

• ECON 185.01, ECONOMICS OF GLOBL HEALTH

  Social Sciences 111, TuTh 08:30 AM-09:45 AM

• ECON 285.01, ECON OF GLOBAL HEALTH

  Social Sciences 111, TuTh 08:30 AM-09:45 AM

• ECON 380.11, ECONOMICS WORKSHOPS

  Social Sciences 111, F 11:55 AM-01:00 PM

• ECON 395A.03, TOPICS IN APPLIED MICROECON

  Social Sciences 111, Th 06:00 PM-09:00 PM

• ECON 380.11, ECONOMICS WORKSHOPS

  Social Sciences 111, F 11:40 AM-01:00 PM

Specialties:

Economics

Research Interests: Develolpment, Population and Family Economics; Global Health

Professor Thomas’ research focuses mainly on the exploration of global health, development, and the dynamics within low-income households. His recent studies have focused on the impact of disasters on population well-being, and also on the motivations and consequences of decision-making within families. He has received numerous grants for his research endeavors throughout his career. Most recently, he was awarded funding from the National Institute of Aging for his projects entitled, “Longitudinal Study of Older Adults and their Families in Mexico” and “Evolution of Well-being among Older Adults after a Disaster.” Professor Duncan has numerous projects that he has been pursuing. He has received grants from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development for his research on the long-term effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami, from the Hewlett Foundation/Population Reference Bureau for his study of women’s reproductive health and economic prosperity, and from the Fogarty International Center for his investigation of “Training in International Population and Health Sciences.” His most recent grant for his research on families and older adults in Mexico is scheduled to continue until 2013. Along with his independent research, Professor Duncan is also President of the Bureau for Research in the Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD).

Keywords:

economics of the family • health and development • intra-household resource allocation • impact of natural disasters