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About Dietrich
Dietrich Vollrath is a Professor of Economics at the University of Houston within the Business & Economics faculty. He earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, M.A. in Economics from Brown University in 2004, and Ph.D. in Economics from Brown University in 2005. Vollrath joined the University of Houston faculty in 2005 and advanced to full Professor. He served as Chair of the Department of Economics from September 1, 2019, to September 1, 2025, leading the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated a shift to online operations in Spring 2020, and managing two relocations: from McElhinney Hall to temporary quarters in Old Science in January 2022, and then to Teaching Unit II in June 2023. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program expanded to approximately 1,000 students, and the department secured major donations that enhanced its prestige and resources.
Vollrath's research focuses on economic growth and development, population economics, and agricultural economics. He is the author of the book Fully Grown: Why a Stagnant Economy Is a Sign of Success, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2020. He co-authored the textbook Introduction to Economic Growth with Chad Jones, with editions including the third in 2013 and the fourth in 2024 by W.W. Norton. Key publications include 'Inequality in Landownership, the Emergence of Human-Capital Promoting Institutions, and the Great Divergence' in the Review of Economic Studies (2009), 'The dual economy in long-run development' in the Journal of Economic Growth (2009), and 'How important are dual economy effects for aggregate productivity?' in the Journal of Macroeconomics (2013). Vollrath is a research fellow at the University of Houston's Center for Economic Growth and Opportunity and maintains a personal website with the Growth Economics Blog featuring insights on economic growth topics.