Inspires a passion for knowledge and growth.
Rich Higgins, Associate Professor of Economics at Colgate University, earned his BS from Pennsylvania State University and PhD from the University of Oregon. As a macroeconomist, his research interests span macroeconomics, monetary policy, and Bayesian econometrics, with a particular emphasis on the connections between the financial sector and the real economy. Higgins teaches a range of courses including macroeconomics, money and banking, monetary policy, statistics, and fly fishing in the Core. His office is located at 213 Persson Hall, where he holds office hours on Mondays from 12:00pm to 1:00pm and Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:15am to 11:15am.
Higgins has made significant contributions to the field through his publications. Notable works include "Changes in Central Bank Leadership and Inflation Dynamics" co-authored with I. Qureshi in the Southern Economic Journal (2025), "Time-Varying Volatility and the Housing Market" with A. Sapci in Macroeconomic Dynamics (2024), "Risk and Uncertainty: The Role of Financial Frictions" in Economic Modelling (2023), "Financial Frictions and Changing Macroeconomic Volatility" in the Journal of Macroeconomics (2020), and "Estimating General Equilibrium Models With Stochastic Volatility and Changing Parameters" in Economic Modelling (2017). He serves as the faculty advisor for Colgate's College Federal Reserve Challenge team, which has advanced to national semifinals and achieved other successes under his guidance. Additionally, Higgins has engaged in public outreach, appearing on the "13" podcast to discuss the national debt alongside colleagues from the Economics Department. His work explores critical topics such as central bank leadership impacts on inflation, housing market volatility, financial frictions, and macroeconomic stability, influencing discussions on monetary policy and economic modeling.
