The business economics program is designed for students interested in applied economics research. Prior to their research, students will first develop a grounding in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory and econometrics. Specialized courses in the economics of organizations, business economics and economic policy will then bring students to the frontiers of economics research on business organizations and strategy. Students will also work closely with a faculty advisor to develop a specialized program of economics and management study to prepare them for their dissertation research.

Our program is designed to be accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds. One track focuses on advanced microeconomic theory and is designed for students with strong technical backgrounds. A second track is designed for students with a background in more applied economics and management subjects.

Current faculty research interests - summarized on this page - include applied industrial organization, the economics of contracts and organizations, entrepreneurship and innovation, the economics of R&D, personnel economics, international skill markets, macroeconomic forecasting, and financial and monetary economics.

Jean-Etienne De Bettignies’ current research focuses on contractual design and incentives in organizations. One stream of his research examines the effects of product market (and labour market) competition on managerial incentives and the design of their employment contracts, and on strategic and organizational decisions inside the firm. He is also interested in contracts and incentives in entrepreneurial ventures more specifically, in particular financial contracts between the entrepreneur and the investor. Other interests include industrial organization and financial economics more generally, as well as public policy issues such as public-private partnerships.

Olena Ivus’ current research focus is the relationship between intellectual property rights regulation and international trade. This research employs both theory and empirical work to study the ways stronger patent protection affects high-tech exports into developing countries and the diffusion of technology internationally. Industry characteristics, such as technology complexity and reliance on patents, are emphasized. Other research interests include foreign direct investment, research and development activity, trade protection, and trade in natural resources.

Bo Pazderka is currently working in two main areas: the economics of the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on the role of patent protection in the diffusion of innovation and the impact of controls on prices of prescription drugs; and an empirical analysis of valuation of technology based companies. His other research interests include the economics of research and development, especially the analysis of determinants of corporate R&D spending.

Peter Sephton is an economist with expertise in monetary policy and applied economic modeling. Dr. Sephton earned a BA from McMaster University and an MA and a PhD from Queen's University. An award-winning teacher and researcher, he is co-author of several editions of popular textbooks. Dr. Sephton is a Professor of business economics and a former Director of Queen's National Executive MBA.

Dr. Veikko Thiele is Assistant Professor of business economics at Queen’s School of Business, and a Research Fellow of the W. Maurice Young Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Research Centre. His main research focuses on performance evaluations and the efficient design of incentive schemes in organizations. In another stream of his research, Veikko applies contract theory to entrepreneurship and the market for venture capital. His work has been published or is forthcoming in academic journals including the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, and Labour Economics. Before he joined Queen’s in the summer of 2009, Veikko was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, where he was nominated for the Commerce Undergraduate Society’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2008. Veikko received his Ph.D. in Economics from Humboldt University Berlin in 2006.