Tarron Khemraj
Professor of Economics and International Studies
William G. Selby and Marie Selby Chair in Economics
Professor of Economics and International Studies
William G. Selby and Marie Selby Chair in Economics
Professor of Economics and International Studies
Dr. Khemraj is a monetary macroeconomist and political economist. He regularly teaches courses that are related to his research, thereby allowing for readings, discussions and analyses at a level beyond a single textbook. He also enjoys teaching introductory economics courses. His research explores questions relating to causes of inflation, exchange rate determination and policy, central bank policies, the fiscal-monetary nexus, the international role of the dollar, the impact of natural resources on economic development, and political and economic explanations of why economies undergo structural change. In addition to his peer-reviewed research, he has written hundreds of newspaper columns. He was an active participant in political activities in his former country, where he was economic advisor to an independent political party. However, he generally dislikes politics because of the mostly suboptimal leaders that do well in political life. His candor makes him less suited to politics but highly matched to academia, where critical thinking is the main element of success. His favorite sports are football and cricket. He eagerly awaits the Superbowl each year and the various formats of world cup cricket.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT?
Don’t lock yourself into a major in high school.
New College provides the flexibility to help students combine majors, especially those that give personal fulfillment (such as the classics) and relatively higher high-paying majors.
WHAT MAKES NEW COLLEGE OF
FLORIDA SO UNIQUE?
The flexible educational model.
New College offers students the opportunity to engage in independent tutorials, allowing them to explore a subject matter in greater depth than what is typically covered in a regular course.
IF YOUR STUDENTS COULD READ ONE BOOK TO PREPARE FOR YOUR CLASS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner
“Keeping the polder dry: Drainage as an essential public input and a Hartwick Rule for a resource-rich coastal economy”
“Political pressure and central bank monetization: Dutch Disease and central bank monetization” (co-author: Collin Constantine)
“Development Banking, Intermediation Spread, and the Foreign Exchange Constraint in Small Open Economies” (co-author: Sukrishnalall Pasha)
“Bank Concentration, Intermediation Spread, and the case for a Development Bank in Guyana.” (co-author: Sukrishnalall Pasha)
Journal articles:
“Asymmetric reserve demand and interest rate control in the U.S. corridor system.” Finance Research Letters, 109, 2026 (co-author: Sherry Yu).
“Monetary aspects of the Dutch disease.” International Review of Economics and Finance, 101, 2025 (co-author: Collin Constantine).
“Geography, economic structures and institutions: a synthesis.” Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Vol. 51, 2019 (co-author: Collin Constantine).
2024 “Dominant currency shocks and foreign exchange pressure in the periphery.”
Review of Keynesian Economics, Vol. 12, Issue 1 (co-author: Aleksandr Gevorkyan)
2024 “Structural change and sectoral interconnectedness in two resource-
abundant economies. Resources Policy, Vol. 88, January (co-author: Sukrishnalall Pasha)
2023 “Inflation dynamics and quantitative easing.” Eastern Economic Journal, Vol.
49, September (co-author: Sherry Yu)
2022 “Central bank securities and foreign exchange market intervention in a developing economy.” Review of Development Economics, Vol. 26 (1) (co-author Eli Direye)
2021 “Two ethnic security dilemmas: a political economy channel of the natural
resource curse.” Social and Economic Studies, Vol. 70 (3 & 4)
Applied Economics; Applied Economics Letters; Brazilian Journal of Political
Economy; Central Bank of Barbados Economic Review; Economic Analysis and
Policy; Economic Modelling; Economic Systems; Emerging Market Finance and
Trade; Emerging Markets Review; European Journal of Development Research;
Finance Research Letters; International Journal of Finance and Economics;
International Review of Applied Economics; Journal of Business, Finance and
Economics in Emerging Economies; Journal of Developing Areas; Journal of
Economic Studies; Metroeconomica; New School Economic Review; Open
Economies Review; Research in International Business and Finance, Review of
Development Economics; Review of Keynesian Economics; Revista de Ciencia
Politica; Social and Economic Studies; Transition; World Development; World
Development Sustainability
2008 Served as a reviewer for Wiley publisher (Reviewer of W. Enders’ Applied
Econometric Time Series)
2023 “Foreign exchange shortage in a booming economy: a paradox of plenty?”
Stabroek News, Sunday Business Review, September 24.
2023 “Dollarization for Guyana? Stabroek News, July 23.
2023 “De-dollarization: is it real? Stabroek News, July 2.
2023 “Back to the future: gold in international reserves as a new stabilizer (again!)
of exchange rate systems.” SUERF Policy Brief, No 604, June, The European
Money and Finance Forum (co-author: A. V. Gevorkyan)
2022 “Macroeconomic issues relating to the large early withdrawal from the NRF.”
Stabroek News, Sunday Business Review, January 16.