32
Ask the
Economist
Rodney
Ramcharan
Associate Professor of Public Policy
and Research Director of the USC
Lusk Center for Real Estate
R
odney Ramcharan is an Associate
Professor of Public Policy and
Research Director of the USC Lusk
Center for Real Estate. Previously,
Dr. Ramcharan worked at the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
serving most recently as the first chief of the
newly created Systemic Financial Institutions
and Markets Section. In that role, he helped
develop analyses to understand better the role
of financial institutions in the US economy,
and contributed to the regulatory policy
discussions at both the Federal Reserve and
at Basel. His research has appeared in many
of the top economics and finance journals,
including the American Economic Review and
the Journal of Finance.
How has housing been affected by the near
zero Federal Funds Target Rate? One, those
people who have ARMs (Adjustable Rate
Mortgage Contracts) have gotten tremendous
