The Purdue University Research Center in Economics' mission is two-fold: To conduct rigorous policy-relevant economic research, and to share that research so it has an impact on the well-being of people and society.
PURCE is home to select faculty and students united around a common goal: to produce impactful economic research.
We are focused on the creation and dissemination of data-driven insights into how laws, regulations, and government programs affect the market economy and the well-being of individuals and society.
We do this by:
PURCE research can be categorized under these broad topics:
Learn more about our research and read recently published papers.
An important goal of PURCE is to disseminate, in a non-technical and jargon-free way, the research findings of our faculty, so that those findings might be widely understood by a general audience.
We work with media to provide solid information and faculty experts on a variety of topics. Our center tracks media placements of PURCE-affiliated faculty research. Faculty are quoted as experts in local, national and international media, including Bloomberg News, the Indianapolis Business Journal, The New York Times, Yahoo Finance, and more.
PURCE engages policymakers, community groups, academics, business leaders and more by sharing our research in policy briefs, white papers, and published articles; hosting economic policy luncheons, webinars and other informational sessions featuring PURCE faculty discussing their research; an Economic Ideas Forum, our annual conference; and guest lectures by distinguished economics researchers.
Our faculty have published in top academic journals, including the Journal of Political Economy, American Economic Review, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Review of Economics and Statistics, Labour Economics, Journal of Law, and many more.
The Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE) was founded in 2013, when Professor of Economics John Umbeck established the center with Professors Jack Barron and Justin Tobias, and became the center's first director.
Under Umbeck's leadership, graduate students and seven economics faculty members were hired to the center, dramatically expanding the department's ability to produce empirical policy relevant research.
PURCE moved into its home in the newly-renovated Webster Suite on the 3rd floor of the Krannert Building on Purdue University's West Lafayette, Indiana, campus in Fall 2017.
At the end of the 2017-18 academic year, Professor Umbeck stepped down from his position as director. Professor Kevin Mumford was named the new director of PURCE effective with the 2018-19 academic year. In August 2019, Dr. Mumford was named the Kozuch Director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE).
In 2023, PURCE celebrated its 10th anniversary.
The Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE) is located on the 3rd floor of the Krannert Building, in the Webster Suite, on Purdue's West Lafayette, Indiana, campus.
Mail to:
Purdue University Research Center in Economics
Mitch Daniels School of Business
403 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Reach us at purce@purdue.edu and (765) 494-3782.
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