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About Donald
Professor Donald Mar serves as Professor Emeritus of Economics at San Francisco State University within the Business & Economics faculty. He earned a B.A. from Antioch College in 1977, an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985, with his dissertation addressing Chinese immigrants and their economic experiences. Appointed to the faculty in 1987, Mar progressed to full Professor of Economics and held leadership roles, including Chair of the Economics Department as recorded in the 2006-2007 university bulletin. He contributed to departmental administration, listed as the contact for Economics in the College of Business in 2015 bulletins with office HSS 142 and phone (415) 338-1839. Mar retired in 2017, attaining emeritus status, and his retirement was celebrated by the Department of Economics with alumni, faculty, students, and staff.
Mar's research specializes in labor economics, focusing on employment disruptions, wage disparities, and economic challenges faced by Asian American communities. A prominent publication is his co-authored report 'COVID-19’s Employment Disruptions to Asian Americans' (2020), prepared with Paul Ong for the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. The analysis utilized administrative data from DOL and California Policy Lab to demonstrate that Asian Americans suffered elevated job losses, particularly in sectors like hospitality and retail, and experienced longer unemployment durations than other groups during the pandemic's initial phases. This work illuminated overlooked racial inequalities in economic recovery and was featured prominently on National Public Radio in October 2020, highlighting the heavy toll on Asian American workers and business owners. Mar's findings on pay gaps for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women have further influenced equity discussions. His expertise earned invitations such as a 2022 presentation to Boston University’s Public Health Department on pandemic inequality. Additionally, Mar organized and chaired sessions on labor and macroeconomics at Western Economic Association International conferences, advancing scholarly dialogue in his field.