ECON 315: Money and Banking
Instructor of record for ECON 315 (Money and Banking), online. Fall 2025 — 15 students.
CV
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Current Position
- Ph.D. Candidate in Economics, Colorado State University. Expected graduation: May 2027.
- Graduate Teaching Instructor, Colorado State University, Spring 2025–present (Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall 2021–Spring 2024).
Education
- Ph.D. in Economics, Colorado State University, 2021–present (expected May 2027)
- M.A. in Economics, Colorado State University, 2023
- M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea, 2015
- B.A. in Economics, Sogang University, South Korea, 2013
Research Interests
- Primary Fields: Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Health Economics
- Topics: Deaths of Despair; Employment Protection Legislation; Growth Cycles; Financialization
Dissertation
- Title: “Essays on Labor Market Institutions, Financial Structure, and Deaths of Despair”
- Chapter 1 (Job Market Paper): “Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair”
- Chapter 2: “The Addicted Predator–Prey Model: How Substance Abuse Shapes Productivity and Growth-Cycle Dynamics” (with Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández)
- Chapter 3: “Local Financialization, Financial Distress, and Deaths of Despair” (work in progress)
- Committee: Daniele Tavani (Chair), Ray Miller, Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández, Brad Conner (Outside Member)
Research Experience
- Summer 2022: Research Assistant, CSU Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI), Fort Collins, CO
- Summer 2024: Summer Intern, CSU Extension Office — “Economic and Community Contribution Analysis of the Forest Product Industry in Colorado”
Teaching Experience
See the full list on the Teaching page. In brief:
ECON 212: Racial Inequality and Discrimination
Instructor of record for ECON 212 (Racial Inequality and Discrimination), online. Summer 2025 — 12 students; Spring 2026 — 13 students.
ECON 204: Principles of Macroeconomics
Instructor of record for ECON 204 (Principles of Macroeconomics). Spring 2025 — 2 sections, 134 students; Fall 2025 — online, 22 students; Spring 2026 — 1 section, 165 students.
ECON 204: Principles of Macroeconomics (Recitation)
Graduate Teaching Assistant and recitation leader for ECON 204 (Principles of Macroeconomics). Fall 2022; Spring & Fall 2023.
ECON 202: Principles of Microeconomics (Recitation)
Graduate Teaching Assistant and recitation leader for ECON 202 (Principles of Microeconomics). Spring & Fall 2021; Spring 2024.
Publications
Local Financialization, Financial Distress, and Deaths of Despair
Chung, Nara. "Local Financialization, Financial Distress, and Deaths of Despair." Work in progress, Colorado State University.
The Addicted Predator–Prey Model: How Substance Abuse Shapes Productivity and Growth-Cycle Dynamics
Chung, Nara, and Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández. "The Addicted Predator–Prey Model: How Substance Abuse Shapes Productivity and Growth-Cycle Dynamics." Working paper, March 2026.
Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair
Chung, Nara. "Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair." Job Market Paper, Colorado State University.
Adopting Conceptual Metaphors as a Persuasive Device in Learners’ Argument
Chung, Nara. (2018). "Adopting Conceptual Metaphors as a Persuasive Device in Learners' Argument." The Korean Journal of Applied Linguistics, 34(4): 25–51.
Talks
The Addicted Predator–Prey Model: How Substance Abuse Shapes Productivity and Growth-Cycle Dynamics
Conference talk (forthcoming) at ASSA 2027 Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, USA
The Addicted Predator–Prey Model: How Substance Abuse Shapes Productivity and Growth-Cycle Dynamics
Conference talk at Keynes Year Conference, Mexico City, Mexico
Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair
Conference talk at 101st Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International, Denver, CO, USA
Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair
Conference talk at 68th Annual WSSA Conference, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair
Conference talk at John Jay College – New School Conference on Contemporary Political Economy, New York, NY, USA
Labor Market Deregulation and Deaths of Despair
Poster / conference talk at CSU GradShow Program, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Adopting Conceptual Metaphors as a Persuasive Device in Learners’ Argument
Conference talk (pre-Ph.D., applied linguistics) at 13th Asia TEFL International Conference, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Awards and Honors
- Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award, CSU Economics Department, 2025–2026
- Graduate Research Assistantship Award, CSU Economics Department, 2025–2026
- College of Liberal Arts “Top Scholar Award” — Highest Achievement in Scholarly/Research-Based Presentation, CSU GradShow, 2025
- L.S. and Chuen-mei Fan Graduate Scholarship, CSU Economics Department, 2022–2023
Skills
- Languages: Korean (native), English (fluent)
- Software: Stata, R, Python, LaTeX
Service and Leadership
- Vice President and President, Korean Student Association (KSA), Colorado State University — organized events to build community and fellowship among Korean students
- Community Coordinator, CSU Housing, University Village 1700 — supported residents and organized events to build an inclusive community
References
- Daniele Tavani (Dissertation Chair), Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Colorado State University — daniele.tavani@colostate.edu — (970) 491-6657
- Ray Miller, Associate Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Colorado State University — ray.miller@colostate.edu — (970) 491-6816
- Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández, Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Colorado State University — M.DavilaFernandez@colostate.edu — (970) 491-0821
- Anita Alves Pena, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Colorado State University — anita.pena@colostate.edu