Lydia Ortega , Ph.D.

Office: DMH 131
Phone: (408) 924-5400
Email: ldortega@email.sjsu.edu

Ph.D. in Economics, George Mason University, 1987
M.A. in Economics, George Mason University, 1985
B.A. in Economics, Loyola Marymount University, 1980

Research Interest

Public Policy
Economic Education

Published in the Following Journals

Published in Public Choice and the Journal of Economic Education

Classes Taught

Econ 232 - Public Finance
Econ 103B - Econometrics
Econ 1B - Principles of Economics
Econ 121 - Industrial Organization
Econ 132 - Public Finance
Econ 221 - Seminar in Industrial Organization
Econ 101 - Intermediate Microeconomics

Biography

Like many students, I entered college as a declared business major. In my first semester I took the required principles of economics course. My initial trepidation quickly turned to amazement and then fascination. Here was a set of tools and concepts, a way of looking at the world, that could be used to understand any situation; from standard business profit and loss, to the ritual of diamond engagement rings and the number of children a couple chooses. I changed my major immediately and never looked back.

My fascination with economics is undiminished. Economics' unique methodology for examining complex questions and for seeking the unintended consequences of policies has benefited my volunteer work on nonprofit boards such as the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, and the San Jose Center for Latino Arts.