Everything Economics at the University of Toronto
Need a boost of creativity to finish your summer courses?
Join Health and Wellness and the HealthyU Crew for a free creative art wellness workshop! All materials and supplies will be provided. There will also be pizza. This event is open to all U of T students.
When: Wednesday, August 2 at 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Where: Koffler House, Multi-Faith Centre, Room KP 208
Is being a woman a financial liability in the scientific community? An analysis of more than 70 million scientific articles conducted by a University of Toronto researcher suggests that it is. Female scientists are 29 to 30% less likely than their male counterparts to see their discoveries commercialized.
That double-digit gender gap is widest between those described by male-dominated research teams and the discoveries reported by teams with female last authors, a senior authorship position normally filled by the head of the laboratory.
Results of the analysis appear in Cassatts in the Attic, the title of Marlène Koffi’s new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) this June. It references the role of Mary Cassatts in the history of art compared to that of her friend and colleague in impressionism, Jean-August Renoir. It’s a title that instantly suggests how Koffi, an Assistant Professor with the Department of Economics, and her co-author Matthew Marx, are researching the role of gender in a contemporary look at unappreciated genius and overlooked masterpiece.
The persistence of the gender gap cannot be easily explained. For example, it has long been observed that male researchers use more self-promotional language than female researchers do in their published papers. The tendency to self-promote however, does not explain why male discoveries are more likely to be commercialized.
“Using self-promotional words matters, but they do not hold the influence you might think,” Koffi explained in a recent interview, “When women start using more boastful language, compared to how men use self-promotional words, we don’t see a reduction in the gender gap.”
The gender gap also has nothing to do with the quality of the discoveries.
When Koffi and Marx looked at twin papers – papers published during roughly the same time on the same topic – they found no difference in citation rates between those with male versus female last authors.
The data provides other indications that the quality of science from female-led labs is of the same quality as science from male-led labs. When female-led teams of scientists become entrepreneurs and create startups to commercialize their discoveries, there is no gender gap.
“We established that the gap does not exist for entrepreneurial self-commercialization via new ventures,” Koffi explained. “The gap comes with commercialization that requires contact with established firms, but we don’t have enough data about how they make their decisions to know why the gap persists.”
Koffi and Marx believe it unlikely that there are no losses to society and the economy resulting from the failure to commercialize so many scientific discoveries. The problem is there is just no data to ascertain just how scientific team members, companies, and society are losing as a result. Quantifying that demands evaluation and examination from both political and corporate interests.
“Firms should probably pay greater attention to scientific discoveries in a general sense,” Koffi said, “but when we think of women as scientists or as businesspeople, it is common to think of them as people who need support when creating programs. Governments need to ask: what the problem really is and does the program address it? And, when we think about diversity and representation more broadly, we need to look at what the mechanisms are in place on the firms’ sides that are preventing them from engaging in commercialization with women and other scientists from diverse groups. Is it the legal department? Is it R&D? Is it reluctance from the management team?”
Go to the Department of Economics website.
Puerto Rico’s public school system identified a need for reforms even before COVID-19! To respond to these needs, the Department of Economics’ Gustavo Bobonis et al established a research-practice partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE), The partnership was funded and supported by the William T. Grant Foundation’s Institutional Challenge Grant. In a new post, Professor Bobonis and other members of the partnership describe their past, current and future work to benefit the students of Puerto Rico.
To read the newly-published post about the research-practice partnership, follow this link to the Foundation’s website:
A research practice partnership seeks to hire a Research and Evaluation Officer to serve as liaison between a team of researchers here at the University of Toronto and the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE). The application deadline for this position is next Thursday, July 20, 2023.
The Research and Evaluation Officer will assist in the development and implementation of several ongoing research and evaluation initiatives, while receiving
mentorship, training and support from the Research Team. The Research and Evaluation Officer will be a part-time (80%) position.
Working closely with researchers and policymakers, the Research and Evaluation Officer will be responsible for coordinating and facilitating data sharing and collection, monitoring research, project execution, managing relationships across project partners, and supporting research implementation efforts. As the research team is mostly remote, the Research and Evaluation Officer will be the on-the-ground staff ensuring that the research projects are successfully launched and implemented. The Officer will be the primary liaison between the research team and the data collection and program implementation activities.
The Officer will be an employee of the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and will be based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is expected that the position will spend a considerable amount of time at the PRDE, which will designate office space for this position. The individual will have an opportunity
to work with Gustavo J. Bobonis, Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto, public servants in Puerto Rico, and the evaluation staff at J-PAL North America based at MIT.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
• A bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field (education policy, public policy,
economics, etc.). A master’s degree is preferred.
• An understanding of common quantitative and analytical challenges. Relevant work
experience and demonstrated expertise in program evaluation methodologies are
preferred.
• Demonstrated passion for improving public service performance and solving social
problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Spanish and English, including
policy memos, slide decks, and public speaking.
• Exceptional project management capabilities and creativity in problem solving.
• Demonstrated ability to use project management tools and software (e.g., Dropbox, GSuite)
Other Qualifications:
• Record of accomplishment of adeptly navigating complex organizations and building
relationships among diverse groups of stakeholders.
• Flexibility to successfully adapt and respond to changing circumstances, demands and
expectations from stakeholders.
• Graduate-level training in public policy, economics, or related fields is highly preferred.
• Self-motivated with an orientation towards results over process.
• Willingness to learn, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task are critical.
• Authorization to work in the United States for two years.
• An understanding of data analysis is preferred.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
• Coordinate efforts between the Research Team and PRDE to identify and assess
promising, high-priority issue areas for projects.
• Coordinate project development and implementation planning across government
agencies and community stakeholders.
• Provide ongoing project management support as needed on randomized evaluations run
in partnership with the PRDE.
• Conduct data analyses and review research literature to inform projects.
• Support the design and documentation of a rigorous project evaluation methodology.
• Assist with community outreach and communication efforts to disseminate research
findings and project results.
• Provide technical assistance to the PRDE in the creation of a Policy Research and
Evaluation Unit that will lead the efforts to structure a process to develop actionable
research.
Individuals interested should apply before July 20, 2023 via the Sagrado portal
Create a single PDF with the filename “Firstname_Lastname_PREvaluationOfficer” that includes:
a. One page cover letter addressed to the Project Research Team which explains why you
are interested in and qualified for this position;
b. Curriculum vitae or resume (no more than 2 pages);
c. Transcripts of your undergraduate and graduate courses (unofficial transcripts accepted)
For more information about la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, please visit www.sagrado.edu.
la Universidad del Sagrado Corazon is an EEO Employer/Affirmative Action for Females/Disabled/Veterans.
The Innovation Hub invites students to join them for Working at the Innovation Hub from noon to 1PM on July 31, 2023.
The information session is a 1-hour virtual event where you can learn about the job opportunities on their team in 2023-24.
The Hub encourages all current and in-coming students to attend . To learn more, visit uoft.me/iHubWorkStudy to register for the event.
For the 2023-24 school year, the Innovation Hub is hiring for roles in design thinking research, digital storytelling, writing, data analysis, and more. Check out our job descriptions to learn more.
Working at the Innovation Hub is a fun way to build highly relevant and transferrable work experience. The student staff build leadership, collaboration, and communication skills while learning design thinking. The Innovation Hub’s work centres students in the research to co-create a campus experience designed for every student to flourish academically, socially, and personally.
The Innovation Hub is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation in all that they do. Their aim is to foster welcoming and accessible environments for all students. Visit About the Innovation Hub to learn more about their commitments.
Questions? Need accessibility accommodations? Contact innovationhub@utoronto.ca.