HESBURGH LECTURE SERIES 2013 Program - Alumni Association ...

Richard A. Jensen, Ph.D.
Gilbert F. Schaefer Professor and Chair, Department of Economics
Biography
Richard Jensen has been a professor of economics at Notre Dame since joining the University
in 2000. He served as chairperson of the Department of Economics from 2001 to 2003, and
has been chair of the Department of Economics and Econometrics since its creation in 2003.
Jensen is a faculty fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, the Kellogg Institute for
International Studies, and the Notre Dame Energy Center, and is a concurrent professor of
Categories
finance. His primary areas of expertise are the economics of innovation, economic theory, and
environmental economics.
Economics, Education,
Jensen’s current research interests include the economics of intellectual property, especially Environment, Government,
commercialization of the research of university faculty-inventors, and the bioeconomics History
of invasive species. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the
National Bureau of Economic Research, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and it has been published in the American
Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Economic Theory, Review of Economic Studies, and Management
Science, among others. Jensen is a co-editor and fellow of the International Journal of Industrial Organization.
Lectures
Academic Entrepreneurship
In the current climate of higher education, every major research university must have an innovation park. But what are the
characteristics of universities and their faculties that are most effective at generating patents, licenses, startups, and royalty
income?
The Costs and Benefits of Reducing Carbon Emissions
Many studies have estimated the costs of reducing carbon emissions. This lecture explains the reasons for these widely varying
estimates, converts them into reductions of income per person, and estimates the anticipated benefits of reduced emissions.
A History of Financial Crises
Financial crises always have been with us. Examining such crises in the U.S. in the 1800s, in Europe in the Renaissance, and in
ancient Rome provides perspectives that help understand their common causes and consequences.
50 The Hesburgh Lecture Series, 2013 Program