Nathan Schiff

Area of Study / Keywords

urban economics public economics education economics spatial competition immigration and ethnic neighborhoods product variety and urban amenities

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About

I received my PhD in Economics from Brown University. I started my career as an assistant professor at the Sauder School of Business at UBC (Vancouver), where I taught managerial economics and real estate economics. I then moved to Shanghai, China where I was an associate professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, teaching intermediate economics (undergraduate) and urban economics (PhD). I joined the Alberta School of Business in July 2025 and teach international economics and managerial economics.

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Research

My research spans urban economics, public economics, and industrial organization, with a focus on how geography affects the characteristics of markets and economic outcomes. I have two papers on restaurants and spatial competition, another paper on spatial competition between bordering jurisdictions, several papers on the US college market, one paper on voting in US primaries, and a paper on ethnic neighborhoods. I am currently working on a follow-up paper on historical ethnic neighborhoods in the US and a paper on policing for profit. I have future work planned on the effect of immigration on Canadian housing markets, health care, and labor markets.

BUEC 442 - The Global Business Environment

Examines the changing global business environment and how it impacts international business decision-making. Topics covered could include Trends in Globalization, International Business in Canada, Managing Multinational Corporations, Importing and Exporting, International Labor Markets and the Market for Skills, International Financial Markets, Financial Crises, and Corporate Governance in Different Countries. Prerequisite: BUEC 342 or consent of Instructor. Students may receive credit for only one of BUEC 442, 445 or ADMI 445.

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BUEC 501 - Economics for Managers

This course focuses on economic decision making at the level of the firm and consumer, utilizing demand and supply analysis to help understand a variety of economic and managerial issues. Formal models of managerial economic problems will be developed and used for purposes of analysis. The course will also deal with public economics, regulatory economics and introduce issues of information economics and strategic behavior. The theory of public choice and public goods will be used to analyze a variety of public economic issues. The course will also cover macroeconomic issues including: measuring macroeconomic variables, sources of economic growth, business cycles, interest rates, exchange rates, government debt, and other topics.

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Browse more courses taught by Nathan Schiff

Tianran Dai, Nathan Schiff

Journal of Urban Economics. 2023 September; 10.1016/j.jue.2023.103570

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Nathan Schiff, Jacob Cosman, Tianran Dai

Journal of Urban Economics. 2023 March; 10.1016/j.jue.2022.103509

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Brian Knight, Nathan Schiff

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. 2022 February; 10.1257/pol.20190694

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AEA Papers and Proceedings. 2021 May; 10.1257/pandp.20211042

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American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. 2019 February; 10.1257/pol.20170499

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Journal of Economic Geography. 2015 November; 10.1093/jeg/lbu040

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American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. 2012 November; 10.1257/pol.4.4.199

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Journal of Political Economy. 2010 December; 10.1086/658372

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