Whitney Buser
Director of Master's Programs, Associate Director of Academic Programs
Overview
Dr. Whitney Buser is an Academic Professional and Associate Director of Academic Programs in the School of Economics as Georgia Tech. Dr. Buser has published and presented research on gender differences in financial literacy, performance evaluation, confidence in mathematical abilities, and participation in academic discussions. Dr. Buser's work has appeared in Sex Roles, Public Choice, and The Journal of Family and Economic Issues, as well as other peer-reviewed publications. Further research interests include behavioral economics as well as formal and informal institutional impacts on policy and economic wellbeing. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech in 2020, Dr. Buser was the Chair of the Business and Public Policy Department at Young Harris College and as well as an Associate Professor of Economics.
- Ph.D., Florida State University
- M.A., Florida State University
- B.S., Mercer University
Interests
- Applied Microeconomics
- Behavioral Economics
Courses
- ECON-2101: The Global Economy
- ECON-3110: Adv Microeconomic Analys
- ECON-4370: Law and Economics
- ECON-4401: Behavioral Economics
- ECON-4610: Seminar-Economic Policy
Publications
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
- Evaluation of Women in Economics: Evidence of Gender Bias Following Behavioral Role Violations
In: Sex Roles [Peer Reviewed]
Date: June 2022
All Publications
Journal Articles
- Evaluation of Women in Economics: Evidence of Gender Bias Following Behavioral Role Violations
In: Sex Roles [Peer Reviewed]
Date: June 2022
- Early causes of financial disquiet and the gender gap in financial literacy: evidence from college students in the Southeastern United States
In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues [Peer Reviewed]
Date: February 2020
- Gender Bias and Temporal Effects in Standard Evaluations of Teaching.
In: AEA Papers and Proceedings [Peer Reviewed]
Date: May 2019
This study investigates whether gender differences in SET vary over the course of a semester, particularly in response to feedback from the instructor. We survey principles of economics courses at multiple institutions three times during the semester to analyze whether the evaluations of male and female instructors change throughout the term, specifically after the first exam is returned. Results indicate a negative effect on evaluations for female instructors relative to male instructors associated with returning grades. This work shows the importance of understanding the dynamics of changes in evaluations within a course over the semester.
- Does Math Confidence Matter? How Student Perceptions Create Barriers to Success in Economics Classes
In: Journal of Economics and Finance Education [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2019
One of the most common obstacles in the economics classroom is facing students’ disinclination to perform tasks requiring basic quantitative skills. Economics, relative to other disciplines, is particularly bridled by this challenge since mastery of economics requires sufficient mathematical proficiency to elicit anxiety and resistance in many students but is not widely regarded as math intensive enough to generate a selection effect of highly quantitative students. This paper attempts to measure undergraduate economics students’ perceptions of their level of “mathiness” or mathematical abilities and anxieties and then identifies the impact of those perceptions on the students’ performance in economics courses.
- The Impact of Fiscal Decentralization on Economic Performance in High-Income OECD Nations: An Institutional Approach
In: Public Choice [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2011
This paper examines the impact of public sector decentralization on per capita income. Controlling for differences in institutional arrangements among countries, panel data regressions on a sample of observations from 20 high-income OECD nations spanning the years 1972 to 2005 indicate that decentralization is positively related to income. The empirical analysis shows that institutions consistent with economic freedom enhance the positive income effects of decentralization. Thus, the impact of public sector decentralization is dependent upon a nation’s institutional environment.