You can read about Nancy Folbre’s research and engagement in two recent UMass publications: an article on the front page of the campus website, and in the University’s 2010 Report on Research. Folbre is a professor of economics at UMass Amherst and a CPPA faculty associate.
In the January 5, 2011, article that appears on the website, Folbre talks about her experience as a contributor to the New York Times blog Economix. “[T]rying to distill an economic argument into about 600 words [is] a good exercise,” says Folbre. “I like the immediate and often diverse responses from readers. I was somewhat unprepared and initially taken aback by the sometimes-rude tenor of posted comments but have come to the conclusion that I’ve led a sheltered life in the university. I think it’s good to learn how to take a little abuse.”
The article in the University’s annual research report, “Bridging the Gap: Toward a Public Understanding of Economics,” also talks about Folbre’s combined research and public engagement work, “honoring the campus’s land-grant promise to transfer knowledge discovered through research and creative activity to the citizens of Massachusetts.”
Folbre has been a faculty member at UMass Amherst since 1981 and received a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (also known as the Genius Award) in 1998.