CLA Welcomes Economics Expert and Researcher to Faculty This Fall

A specialist in macroeconomics and international economics, Dr. Andre Harrison provides vital academic insight into the global economy. His research on how monetary policies are linked across nations is more important than ever as the world struggles to recover from the economic damage done by the COVID-19 crisis.

This fall, Dr. Harrison will bring his expertise to CSULB when he joins the College of Liberal Arts as an assistant professor of economics. He cites the diverse student body and high level of collegiality within the CLA as the reasons he was attracted to the campus. 

  “I really like how everyone is so welcoming, and it’s easier to integrate into an environment like that,” he says. “Many of the kids at CSULB are first-generation students, so I have that thing in common with them. As someone who has been through undergraduate and graduate school not too long ago, I can relate to their experience.”

Dr. Harrison will be teaching Principles of Macroeconomics and Macroeconomics Theory classes in the fall. He says he hopes to make a difference in students’ lives and obtain some invaluable professional development.

“At the end of the day, I just hope a student can say, ‘I did something good or learned something new because of Professor Harrison,’” he says. “At CSULB, I believe I will be able to grow as a professor and help students be successful.”   

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Harrison is thrilled about the opportunity to mentor CSULB student researchers and future scholars. Dr. Seiji Steimetz, chair of the economics department at CSULB, believes Dr. Harrison will add valuable leadership and enthusiasm on campus.

“Dr. Harrison is genuinely committed to serving our diverse student population,” Steimetz says. “He will be an essential part of our department’s ongoing efforts to engage the community and serve the public good.”  

Before joining the faculty at CSULB, Dr. Harrison was an instructor at the University of Alabama, where he taught macroeconomics classes. Originally from Jamaica, Dr. Harrison holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics and a master’s degree in economics from the University of the West Indies. When he decided he wanted to become a teacher, he came to America through a J-1 visa work-study program and obtained a doctorate in economics from the University of Alabama.

Fascinated by international monetary policies, Dr. Harrison credits his excellent teachers for making economics interesting and encouraging him to make the subject a lifelong pursuit.    

“I come from a third-world country where the economy is not that great,” he says. “I always wanted to know why the economy was so bad and what I could do to fix it in any way possible.”

  As part of his ongoing research, Dr. Harrison has three publications under review that deal with international capital flows and the effect they have under monetary policy: “International Capital Flows, Liquidity Risk, and Monetary Policy”; “Capital Flows to Developing Countries: Implications for Monetary Policy Across the Globe”; and “The Implications of Monetary Policy and International Lending to the United States: Empirical Evidence using a Sign Restrictions SVAR Approach.” He has additional research forthcoming that details how capital flows threaten the efficacy of monetary policy in advanced and developing economies.

 Profile story by Kevin Bollman