Ben Wang is a researcher with a focus on the macroeconomics of economic expectation and uncertainty, and understanding the wellbeing of socially disadvantaged groups. He also teaches economics courses at Macquarie Business School.

Ben completed his PhD at Macquarie University, where he also received a Vice-Chancellor’s commendation. He has worked consistently to build a career as a well-regarded economics researcher and educator, encouraging students to develop robust research and communication capabilities.

Ben has a strong publications and research output record for his work on contemporary problems facing society and the economy. His research on how news drive consumer expectations, measurement of economic uncertainty, understanding house price movements and exchange rate movements, wellbeing and labour market outcomes of immigrants and refugees has been published in quality journals.

Ben’s projects have attracted both competitive national and industry funders, including an Australian Research Council (ARC), publicly listed company Estia Health and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Ben has been actively involved in building and serving professional and business communities. He is the Strategic Corporate Engagement Coordinator for the Department of Economics at Macquarie University, a council member for the Economic Society Australia (ESA) NSW Branch since 2019, the Treasurer of ESA NSW from 2022, and a council member for the Chinese Economics Society Australia (CESA) since 2018. He visited Reserve Bank of Australia in 2022 and twice visited the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 2013 and 2017.

Ben’s current research interests focus on three areas: 1) how new information drives the formation of consumers’ and businesses’ expectations; 2) the measurement and the economics of economic uncertainty; and 3) the nexus between monetary policy communications and the formation of expectations and perceptions of uncertainty. 

• Consumer and business expectation formation
• Business perceptions of economic uncertainty
• Monetary policy uncertainty
• Central bank communication