Assistant Professor of Economics

Alina Malkova

Exploring the intersection of credit markets, labor informality, and entrepreneurship in developing economies.

Florida Institute of Technology
Alina Malkova
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About

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Florida Institute of Technology. My research focuses on labor and development economics.

My scholarly work examines the impact of credit market development on labor informality, the effect of access to finance on entrepreneurship, and the economics of informal financial markets and their effect on the labor market.

Research Interests

  • Labor Economics
  • Development Economics
  • Credit Markets
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Informal Finance

Education

2020

Ph.D. in Economics

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2015

M.A. in Economics

New Economic School

2011

B.Sc. & M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and Physics

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

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Research

Publications

Forthcoming

COVID-19, Pent-up Tourism Demand, and the Role of Depleted Excess Savings: Evidence from Florida's Space Coast

with K. Hylton, M.H. Slotkin, and A.R. Vamosi

Applied Economics, 2026

Published

Mobile Money and Labor Informality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Eastern Economic Journal, 2025

Published

The Journey to Formality: How Credit Market Access Shapes Informal Workers' Choices

with Klara Peter

Journal of Comparative Economics, 2025

Published

Knockin' on the Bank's Door: The Impact of U.S. Bank Branch Closures on Self-Employment Dynamics

Southern Economic Journal, 2024

Published

The Impact of Formal and Informal Credit Institutions on Entrepreneurship

Journal of Financial Economic Policy, 2024

Published

Beyond Banks: Navigating the Shift to Peer-to-Peer Lending for Small Enterprises

with Alex Weng

Research in Economics, 2024

Published

The Analysis of Processes of New Knowledge Production in Key World Regions and Russia

with O.G. Golichenko

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2017

Working Papers

Retirement Security vs. Innovation: Evidence from State-Mandated IRA Programs

with A. Jahromi

Submitted to Journal of Regulatory Economics

Gender Disparities in Earnings Losses after Job Displacement: A Distributional Decomposition Approach

with A. Jahromi

Submitted to Journal of Labor Research

The Power of Skills: Unleashing Entrepreneurial Potential through Vocational Education

Submitted to Economics of Education Review

Work in Progress

When Children Pay: The Reversal of Fertility's Retirement Impact Across the Income Distribution

with A. Jahromi

Work in Progress

Heterogeneous Effects of Supply Chain Monitoring on Child Labor: Evidence from the Bangladesh Garment Sector Following Rana Plaza

with Clara Cannon

Work in Progress

Winners from Corporate R&D: Labor Mobility and Firms Strategies

with J. Patel

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Teaching

I teach courses in microeconomics, labor economics, and development economics at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Microeconomics

Undergraduate

Principles and applications of microeconomic theory

Syllabus

Development Economics

Graduate

Economic development in emerging markets

Syllabus

Labor Economics

Graduate

Labor market dynamics and policy analysis

Syllabus
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Media & Engagement

Selected appearances, interviews, and public engagement activities related to my research.

Interview

Coming Soon

Media appearances and interviews will be listed here.

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Curriculum Vitae

Download my complete academic CV for detailed information about my research, publications, teaching experience, and professional activities.

Last updated: February 2026

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Contact

Office

Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, FL