BSc; ChE (California, Berkeley); MA (Simon Fraser); MA; PhD (Western Ontario)
Areas of specialization: Public policy; Economics of taxation; Computational economics; Asian economies; Teaching and learning
Research interests
I am interested in applying methods of economic analysis to issues of public policy interest. Topics that I have worked along this line include computational models of resource allocation, price controls, rationing, black markets, global trade liberalization, taxation, owner-occupied housing, regional skill mobility, illegal immigration, and border delays. I am also interested in issues of development, Asian economies, and lately, the new field of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).
Biography
When I was a third-year undergraduate in chemical engineering at Berkeley, I had to take two half courses of introductory economics as a breadth degree requirement. It was an eye-opening experience. I found that economics was not very much different from engineering in terms of the required discipline and problem-solving skills. I got hooked in economics and started taking extra economics credits along with my engineering courses. I did well in engineering but after graduation, I went to Simon Fraser for a qualifying term before getting into the MA Economics program. I learned that modern economics requires analytical skills as much as mathematics, and again started taking extra math credits along the MA program. After graduation, I went to Western for graduate study in mathematics for two years before switching back to economics for good (enough running around).
Selected publications
- Nguyen, T. T. and R. M. Wigle. (2011). “Border delays re-emerging priority: within-country dimensions for Canada.” Canadian Public Policy, 37(1), March, 49-59.
- Nguyen, T. T. and A. Trimarchi (2010) “Active learning in introductory economics: do MyEconLab and Aplia make any difference?” International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(1), January.
- Nguyen, T. T. (2009) “Environmental consequences of dioxin from the war in Vietnam: what has been done and what else could be done?” International Journal of Environmental Studies, 66(1), 9-26.
- Nguyen, T. T. and R. M. Wigle (2009) “Welfare costs of border delays: numerical calculations from a Canadian regional trade model,” Canadian Journal of Regional Science, 32(2).