Angelino Viceisza, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at Spelman and research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, has been named the new president of the National Economic Association for the 2023-24 term. This appointment is a significant milestone in Dr. Viceisza's impressive career and underscores the growing importance of diversity and inclusivity in the economics profession.
Dr. Viceisza’s primary expertise is in behavioral and experimental economics, with applications in development, household finance, and entrepreneurship. A significant part of his research has studied determinants of financial remittances, i.e., money that migrants send to family and friends in countries of origin. Dr. Viceisza has extensive experience designing and conducting field experiments in a variety of countries including but not limited to El Salvador, Ethiopia, Peru, Senegal, the United States and Vietnam.
Founder and director of VLab, a virtual lab that primarily engages Spelman students in research experiences, Dr. Viceisza's former research assistants and mentees have been accepted to graduate or predoc programs at Brookings Institution, Columbia University, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Georgia State University (GSU), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, and University of Maryland, College Park as well as organizations such as Accenture, Atlanta Community Food Bank, CARE, Delta Airlines, Dropbox, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Mathematica, and Wells Fargo.
Dr. Viceisza’s appointment as president of NEA is a testament to his exceptional scholarship and comes at a crucial time for the economics profession, which has been criticized for its lack of diversity and its failure to address issues related to race and inequality. Founded in 1969 to promote the professional development of Black economists and to address the underrepresentation of Black professionals in the field, NEA has played an important role in addressing these issues. In recent years, the organization has expanded its focus to include other underrepresented groups and to promote diversity and inclusivity in the profession more broadly.