Santa Clara University

Economics Mission & Goals

The mission of the Department of Economics is to advance the understanding of economics. We educate undergraduate and master’s level students; we advance knowledge within the discipline; and we help our local, national, and international communities probe the economic dilemmas of the world today. We do this through teaching, scholarly research, and community outreach involving:

• The analytical tools for understanding how economic choices are made and the repercussions of those choices.
• The empirical methods needed to explore economic issues using the data of the contemporary world and of the past.
• The application of analysis and empirical methods to illuminate debates about important issues of the day, such as poverty, economic development and growth, globalization, and economic and social policy.

Our understanding of economics is shaped by the recognition that economics serves society and that at the heart of each economic decision is a human being.