Brings real-world insights to the classroom.
Associate Professor Murat Genç serves in the Department of Economics at the University of Otago's Otago Business School. He holds a PhD in Economics from Washington State University, obtained in 1989, and a BSc in Management Engineering from Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi in 1982. Joining the University of Otago in January 1989 as a Lecturer in Economics, he advanced to Senior Lecturer in February 2015 and is presently an Associate Professor. His teaching portfolio encompasses microeconomic theory and econometrics courses such as ECON210 Introduction to Econometrics, ECON271 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, and ECON413 Microeconometrics. He also acts as the Honours student adviser.
Genç specializes in applied microeconometrics. His current research centers on the estimation of censored demand systems, the application of copulas in sample selection models, and the analysis of international trade costs. Previous research has addressed migration's impact on trade and tourism flows to New Zealand. Notable grants include a 2017 University of Otago Research Grant for “In search of Altruists” ($12,000), 2012 UORG for “Food Demand Elasticities in New Zealand” ($7,600), and several €40,000 FEMISE grants in 2011-2012. He co-received the NZIER 50th Anniversary Research Award in 2008 ($50,000) for “Trade, Diaspora and Migration to New Zealand.” Key publications feature “Effects of health-related food taxes and subsidies on mortality from diet-related disease in New Zealand: An econometric-epidemiologic modelling study” (PLoS One, 2015), “The impact of migration on trade: Immigrants are good for trade” (IZA World of Labor, 2014), “Trade, diaspora and migration to New Zealand” (The World Economy, 2013), “Impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta-analysis” (Obesity Reviews, 2019), and “The Impact of Immigration on Foreign Market Access: A Panel Analysis” (2020, in The Economic Geography of Cross-Border Migration).
