328 S. Doheny Dr, Front Unit, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, USA Tel: (909) 437-8260, Email: Levan.Efremidze@gmail.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Assistant Professor Economics Department, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont. 2009-Present Courses taught: Econometrics II and III, Financial Economics, Behavioral Finance and Risk Management. Lab Member at the Center of Neuroeconomics Studies
Economist UCLA Anderson Forecast, University of California, Los Angeles, California. 2008-2009 · Built econometric forecasting models and developed expertise in business cycle forecasting, financial markets, real estate markets, California and U.S.exports and imports, financial crisis and regional business cycles. · Produced and contributed to the quarterly forecast reports of U.S.,California, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Francisco/Bay Area.
Lecturer of Economics Pomona College, Claremont. 2006-2008 Courses taught: Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics
Visiting Faculty University of Redlands, Redlands. Fall 2007 Courses taught: Introduction to Statistical Methods
Visiting Faculty California State University, Long Beach. Fall 2006 Courses taught: Principles of Macroeconomics
Marketing Manager ATX, Inc., Los Angeles, California. 1999-2003 · Managed company's planning and budgeting activities. · Contributed to the steady growth of the company by timely reporting and sound financial decision making.
Associate Nissin Foods (USA) Co., Inc., Gardena, California. 1997-1999 · Designed successful budgets and developed over $17 million dollars of additional annual revenue. · Contributed up to 40% in company profits. · Directed highly effective advertising and promotion campaigns and made Nissin the #1 brand in the market.
Export Marketing Manager RBI, Los Angeles, California.1993-1996 · Designed and managed company's export operations. · Improved profits and sales performance through diligent competitive research and restructuring of company's operations.
Stock Market Specialist Caucasus Stock Exchange,Tbilisi, Georgia 1991-1992 · Traded and created market for listed stocks. · Consulted on the design of trading rules, privatization and financial regulations.
EDUCATION Ph.D. in Economics. 2009 Claremont Graduate University (CGU), Claremont, California, USA. · Dissertation: “Twin Deficits, Sudden Stops and Currency Crises.” · Supervisors: Professors Thomas Willett, Paul J. Zak and Arthur Denzau. · Research Assistant, conducting research on “Global Imbalances, Currency Crises, International Capital Flows and Exchange Rate Policies.” · Research Assistant at the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, working in the area of asset market experiments and neuro-finance.
M.A. in Economics. 1994 Claremont Graduate University (CGU), Claremont, California, USA. · Awarded Benjamin Franklin and Edmund Muskie fellowships (part of Fulbright Scholarship program, only 150 fellows are selected every year from the countries of the former Soviet Union).
B.A. double major in Economics and Industrial Engineering. 1992 Tbilisi State University,Tbilisi, Georgia. · Graduated with highest honors (4.0 GPA). · Awarded Merit Fellowship (3 years) for #1 rank in the class of 200 students.
RESEARCH INTERESTS International finance, macroeconomics, financial economics, behavioral finance, neuroeconomics, business cycle forecasting, monetary economics, international trade.
TEACHING INTERESTS Macroeconomics, financial economics, behavioral finance, econometrics, international money and finance, microeconomics, forecasting, statistics, monetary economics, international trade.
PUBLICATIONS “Have
the Implications of Twin Deficits Changed?: Sudden Stops over Decades” (with Akinori Tomohara). International
Advances in Economic Research, doi:10.1007/s11294-010-9285-9, October 31, 2010.
“Testosterone Administration Decreases Generosity in the Ultimatum Game” (with Paul J. Zak, Robert Kurzban,Sheila Ahmadi, Ronald S. Swerdloff, Jang Park, Karen Redwine, Karla Morgan and William Matzner). PLoS ONE 4(12):e8330. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008330, 2009. “Consumers Might Be Back, but Businesses Are Still Waiting,”UCLA Anderson Forecast: East Bay Quarterly Outlook, April 2009
“Expected Pains of the Recession,”UCLA Anderson Forecast: East Bay Quarterly Outlook, January 2009
“The Incipient Slowdown,” with Jerry Nickelsburg, UCLA Anderson Forecast: East Bay Quarterly Outlook, November 2008
“Job Creation Has Dipped,” with Mark Schniepp, UCLA Anderson Forecast: Orange County Economic Outlook for 2009, October 2008
CONFERENCES “Have the Causes of Currency Crises Varied Across Decades?“ Western Economic Association International annual conference, July 2, 2009 “Sudden Stops and Currency Crises“ Western Economic Association International annual conference, July 3, 2010
WORKING PAPERS “Sudden Stops and Currency Crises,“last revision Dec, 2010 “Market Experiments on Asset Bubbles,“last revision Mar, 2010 “Flat Tax, FDI and Government Spending,“last revision Nov, 2010
SKILLS Fluent in English,Georgian and Russian.
AWARDS Benjamin Franklin &Edmund Muskie Fellowships, the United States Congress, 1992-1994
Ivan Javakhishvili Merit Fellowship, Tbilisi State University, 1990-1992
Merit Tuition Fellowship, Claremont Graduate University, 1992-1994 and 2004-2006
