Wifag Adnan
Associate Professor of Economics
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BS Duke University (magna cum laude with distinction); PhD Princeton University
Research Areas: Labor markets; Job search; Employment; Wage differentials; Female labor force; Education

Wifag Adnan completed her PhD in Economics from Princeton University and specialized in Labor Economics and Development Economics. Her research is primarily concerned with the influence of major events, such as conflict, elections, and institutional or economic reforms, on labor market outcomes. These outcomes span labor mobility, job search, the propensity to migrate, unemployment, labor market segmentation, female labor force participation, and wage differentials. The primary aim of her research is to identify the mechanisms and channels by which policies, events and reforms shape outcomes for both the general population as well as vulnerable subgroups, with the hope of formulating policy recommendations that increase social welfare. Most of her work takes place in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region or involves racial and ethnic minority groups in Western countries. She has been invited by well-known government entities including the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (formerly known as the Ministry of Labor) to conduct labor market research and make policy recommendations related to meeting strategic national goals.
Courses Taught
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Through the lens of historic episodes this course introduces students to basic concepts and theories of macroeconomics: national income, economic growth, unemployment, money and inflation, the financial system, and open economies. Via extensive data work, readings, and classroom discussions students gain familiarity with the tools, methods, arguments and challenges of modern macroeconomics. At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to explain key macroeconomic concepts, analyze historic and current issues using simple macroeconomic theories, and employ data effectively to support their arguments.
Prerequisite: SOCSC-UH 1111 or Microeconomics Proficiency Assessment
Previously taught: Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2017
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Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Christian Haefke - MW 11:20 - 12:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Economics > Development and Economic History Track
- Majors > Economics > Global Macroeconomics Track
- Minors > Economics
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Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
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Intermediate Macroeconomics addresses in depth four foundational aspects of macroeconomic theory and policy: (1) theories of exogenous and endogenous growth in per capita incomes; (2) theories of fluctuations in output, employment and other macroeconomic aggregates with a focus on policy and other economic stimuli that can lead to booms and recessions; (3) determinants of inflation including capacity constraints, money, credit and expectations; (4) the aims, objectives and tools of monetary and fiscal policies and their relationship with financial intermediation and its regulation. Throughout the course data will regularly be analyzed to critically assess the theoretical insights.
Prerequisites: SOCSC-UH 1111, SOCSC-UH 1011 and (MATH-UH 1013Q or SOCSC-UH 1101)
Previously taught: Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Michael Reiter - MW 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Michael Reiter - MW 11:20 - 12:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
Shivangi Bishnoi - MTWR 14:00 - 15:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
Jean Imbs - MTWR 09:00 - 12:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Alaïs Martin-Baillon - TR 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Alaïs Martin-Baillon - TR 15:35 - 16:50 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Economics
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
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This class will study the various ways that workers and firms interact in labor markets. What factors determine how much labor individuals supply to the market? What determines labor demand by firms? How do firms design contracts to provide the right incentives to their workers? What determines wage inequality in the economy? What can insights from labor economics contribute to debates surrounding policies such as immigration reform, welfare reform, and income taxation? The class will expose students to the basic theoretical models used by economists to tackle these issues. Students will also survey evidence from empirical studies on these topics.
Prerequisites: (SOCSC-UH 1010Q, SOCSC-UH 1111 and ECON-UH 2010)
and Co- or Prerequisite: SOCSC-UH 3220Previously taught: Spring 2 2020, Fall 2024
This course appears in...
- Majors > Economics > Labor and Health Economics Track
- Minors > Economics
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This course introduces students to the basics of statistics and probability, which are building blocks for much of the research that is done in Social Science. The course gives students an overview of descriptive and inferential statistics, with emphasis on conceptual understanding and statistical thinking. There is heavy concentration on the big picture: What questions are we trying to address and what can we conclude from our analysis. Throughout the course real data from several social science disciplines will be integrated and studied using state of the art software tools. At the end of the semester students should know the difference between populations and samples, how to design experiments, how to summarize and analyze the results of a statistical experiment, how to test basic hypotheses and how to communicate statistical insights.
Prerequisite: MATH-UH 1000A or Math Proficiency Assessment
Previously taught: Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Summer 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Summer 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Blaine Robbins - TR 11:20 - 12:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Blaine Robbins - TR 09:55 - 11:10 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Tetyana Surovtseva - MW 11:20 - 12:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Tetyana Surovtseva - MW 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Omer Faruk Orsun - TR 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
MTWR 13:00 - 14:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
Blaine Robbins - MTWR 09:00 - 12:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Wifag Adnan - MW 09:55 - 11:10 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Omer Faruk Orsun - MW 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
TR 15:35 - 16:50 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Wifag Adnan - MW 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Wifag Adnan - TR 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
M 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Core Curriculum > Quantitative Reasoning
- Majors > Business, Organizations and Society
- Majors > Economics
- Majors > Political Science
- Majors > Social Research and Public Policy
- Minors > Economics
- Minors > Social Research and Public Policy
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
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This course offers students an introduction to how economists look at the world and approach problems. It focuses on individual economic decision-makers (households, business firms, and government agencies) and explores how they are linked together and how their decisions shape our economic life. Applications of supply and demand analysis and the role of prices in a market system are explored. Students are also exposed to the theory of the competitive firm, the idea of market failure, and policy responses. The course relies on cases and examples and incorporates readings to shed light on modern economic principles and their application to solving the problems that face the global economy.
Previously taught: Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 1 2016, Spring 1 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 1 2018, Summer 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Pauline Rutsaert - TR 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Andrzej Baranski - MW 12:45 - 14:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 17:10 - 18:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Andrzej Baranski - MW 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
W 17:00 - 18:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Andrzej Baranski - MW 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
Andrzej Baranski - MTWR 09:00 - 12:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Summer 2025;
4 Weeks
MTWR 14:00 - 15:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Pauline Rutsaert - TR 17:00 - 18:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Pauline Rutsaert - TR 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Shou Liu - TR 09:55 - 11:10 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Manu Munoz-Herrera - TR 08:30 - 09:45 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
R 15:35 - 16:50 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
R 17:00 - 18:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 15:45 - 17:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 14:20 - 15:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Business, Organizations and Society
- Majors > Economics
- Minors > Behavioral Institutional Design
- Minors > Economics
- Pre-Professional Courses > Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks