Anna Maria Mayda

Associate Professor, joint appointment between Department of Economics and SFS
Age: 42
Hometown: Rome, Italy
Education: Laurea, La Sapienza, Statistics and Economics; M.A. Harvard University, Economics; Ph.D. Harvard University, Economics
Areas of Research: International trade and international migration
Time at Georgetown: 11 years
Courses Taught: “International Trade” for undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. students, “The Political Economy of Trade Policy”

What do you think the most fascinating question is in your field?
Well, I work in these two different areas. For international migration, I would say why countries are not allowing more people in — more migrants in — from a political economy point of view.

How did you narrow your focus to what you study today? 
First, during the Ph.D., I was interested in trade, and then, through trade, I got interested in migration. And then, you know, as you work on a topic, you become more familiar with the literature, and from there, you get new ideas.

What would you say the most memorable encounter is that you’ve had with a student?
I’ve met a lot of very nice students. A Ph.D. student who was from Russia; she was very nice. I supervised her. With a Ph.D. student, you meet with them on a more regular basis, because they write their thesis. She is a very nice woman who ended up working at the World Bank, so we’re still in touch.

If you could teach one course that you’ve never taught, what would it be? 
I would like to teach — it doesn’t exist — international migration. Because international migration is interdisciplinary field, there isn’t really anything like that.

What’s something you wish more students would take away from your courses? 
I would like students to take away more the fundamental messages of economics: how incentives work, the fact that people do think — to a certain extent — rationally and take into account what they have and what they want. All these theoretically abstractions do have a counterpart.

Do you think working at a Jesuit university affect the way you teach or the way you approach economics?
Not really. I must say that having grown up in Italy, it is familiar to me because it’s a Catholic university. I agree with the broad values, but otherwise not.

Interview by David Chardack