Economics Seminar Series | Spring 2026

Curious about the latest industry trends and cutting-edge research in economics? The Economics Seminar Seriesoffers you a front-row seat to the knowledge and experience of industry leaders and experts. Held in both the Fall and the Spring semester, this is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of what’s shaping the field today, while also connecting with fellow students and inspiring professionals.

Join us in person on Thursdays from 3:00 - 4:30pm for these intriguing and relevant seminars. We encourage you to take this opportunity to engage with, and learn from, the best in the field!

Speaker: Steven Vogel, Director of the Political Economy Program, the Il Han New Professor of Asian Studies, and a Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Title: Toward an Interdisciplinary Political Economy of Wages

Abstract: This talk will review how some social scientists have transcended disciplinary boundaries in their scholarship on wage formation and propose specific pathways for further trespassing. The speaker contends that an interdisciplinary political economy should connect power to prices. This means that economists should bring power—including political influence and social status—into the heart of their analysis of wage formation, and sociologists and political scientists should extend their analysis of social structure and power dynamics to their endpoint in wage levels.