557 students earned diplomas on a picture-perfect Sunday morning.
Over the past half century, nearly a third of all countries in the world have experienced violent civil wars. Until recently, the economics profession has been mostly on the sidelines, uninterested in exploring the causes and consequences of these conflicts.
But in the past decade or so, economists have started to become players in research on civil wars. Two economics majors—Sara ('07) and Matt ('10) Lowes, a sister and brother tandem—have been a part of this process, and returned not long ago from a region recently racked by violent civil conflict.
During last fall's U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, Middlebury students, faculty and alumni were helping to shape the debate.