Olga Shemyakina

Associate Professor

Member Of:
  • School of Economics
  • ADVANCE IAC
  • Development Studies Program
Office Phone: 404-894-4919
Office Location: Old CE Building, Room 322

Overview

Personal Pronouns:
She/Her

Dr. Olga Shemyakina is an Associate Professor at the School of Economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Senior Affiliate of the Households in Conflict Network (HiCN), and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Labor Economics (IZA). Her research examines how large-scale shocks and institutional change reshape household decision-making across the life cycle, with emphasis on timing and intra-household margins. She studies the short and long-term effects of structural disruptions including armed conflict, policy reforms, and family institutions on marriage, human capital, labor market outcomes, health, and well-being. Her work has appeared in leading journals in development and population economics. She was awarded the 2024–2025 Jefferson Science Fellowship by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

 

Education:
  • Ph.D., University of Southern California
  • M.A., University of Massachusetts - Amherst
  • M.A., Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP)
  • B.A., Kazakh State Academy of Management
Awards and
Distinctions:
  • 2024-2025, Jefferson Science Fellow, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
Areas of
Expertise:
  • Armed Conflict
  • Development Economics
  • Education
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Human Behavior In Complex Emergencies

Interests

Teaching Interests:
Development Economics, Armed Conflict, Microeconomics
Research Interests:
Development Economics; Large-Scale Shocks and Institutional Change; Household Decision-Making; Life-Cycle Dynamics; Gender, Health, and Human Capital
Research Fields:
  • Applied Microeconomics
  • Development Economics
  • Economic Development
  • Economic Development and Smart Cities
  • Regional Security Challenges
Geographic
Focuses:
  • Africa (Sub-Saharan)
  • Asia (North) / Eurasia
  • Asia (South)
Issues:
  • Gender
  • Health
  • International Development
  • Armed Conflict
  • Conflicts
  • Education
  • Human Capital
  • Inequality and Poverty
  • Institution-Building
  • Policy Analysis
  • Political Economy
  • Social Movements
  • Sustainability
  • Terrorism
  • Vulnerable Populations

Courses

  • ECON-2100: Economics and Policy
  • ECON-2101: The Global Economy
  • ECON-2105: Prin of Macroeconomics
  • ECON-2106: Prin of Microeconomics
  • ECON-4411: Economic Development
  • ECON-4415: Confl&Secur in DevCountr
  • ECON-4610: Seminar-Economic Policy
  • ECON-4699: Undergraduate Research
  • ECON-6360: Development Economics
  • ECON-7131: Development Economics I
  • ECON-8803: Special Topics
  • INTA-8803: Special Topics

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

All Publications

Journal Articles


Updated:  Mar 2nd, 2026 at 11:10 AM