Benjamin Harrell, an assistant professor of economics, focuses his academic efforts on healthcare issues and the socioeconomic conditions of marginalized communities. During the summer, he led a study examining how marriages between blood relatives influence health and economic indicators in regions of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Over the past four years, his research has consistently addressed disparities in healthcare access, particularly among underrepresented populations such as LGBTQ+ individuals.
Harrell emphasizes that analyzing groups often overlooked in mainstream studies provides deeper insight into broader societal mechanisms. He referenced a biblical saying attributed to King Solomon: “Wisdom is found in the council of many,” highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives in research.
Collaborating with Abubakr Ayesh, also an assistant professor of economics, along with student researchers, Harrell analyzed data on consanguineous unions—marriages between biologically related individuals. Their findings revealed links between these marriages and factors such as infant birth weight, child survival rates, household income levels, and long-term economic and health trajectories.
The study concentrated on areas where such marital practices remain culturally prevalent, investigating how genetic similarities within these relationships may affect children’s physical development and future financial opportunities. Mattias Rytting, a junior majoring in economics, and Zoey Meyer, a junior pursuing degrees in economics and math finance, spent the summer evaluating datasets from Pakistan, measuring the proportion of children born to closely related parents and associated health outcomes.
Harrell believes inclusive research teams generate more robust conclusions. “The more voices you have at the table and the more perspectives that are represented, the better your answer will be,” he stated.
He currently teaches Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON 3421) and Econometrics (ECON 4470), and is set to offer a course in Health Economics (ECON/HCAD 3433) next semester. According to Harrell, studying populations on the fringes of established systems uncovers insights that conventional, center-focused analyses often miss.
“I hope my students learn by observing how people on the margins interact with systems—be it healthcare or governance,” Harrell explained. His teaching career spans Trinity University, Vanderbilt University, and Georgia State University. While he has instructed both micro- and macroeconomic courses, Trinity allowed him to specialize in health economics starting in spring 2024. In 2021, he received the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Excellence in Teaching Award in economics.
For Meyer, the research project introduced her to subfields like health economics and agricultural economics, which she hadn’t previously explored in class. “As someone considering graduate school but unsure about my specific interests within economics, this was a valuable chance to explore different dimensions,” she said.
Rytting pointed out that studies on consanguineous marriage fall outside traditional academic priorities, yet represent the kind of innovative inquiry Trinity should support. “A project might seem narrow or its results insignificant at first,” he noted, “but they can lead to broader implications.” He added that even small-scale research expands analytical approaches and paves the way for deeper investigation.
Harrell encourages students to pursue their academic passions, stressing the unique value in examining underserved populations. He argues that moving beyond standard research frameworks fosters more insightful questions and comprehensive solutions—a principle embraced by both faculty and students at Trinity.
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Raising awareness through economic research
Benjamin Harrell, assistant professor of economics, devotes his work to studying topics that relate to healthcare and marginalized groups. This summer Harrell studied how incestuous marriages affect economic and health outcomes in communities across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. n nFor the last four years, he has dedicated his research to healthcare disparities experienced by certain communities, such as the LGBTQ+ population. n n“I think that by studying minoritized groups or groups in developing countries, or any variety of groups, you learn more about how systems work as a whole,” Harrell said. n nWhen it comes to the representation of minorities in his research, he quoted an old proverb from King Solomon in the Bible: “Wisdom is found in the council of many.” n nWorking with Abubakr Ayesh, assistant professor of economics, and student researchers, Harrell examined data over the summer on consanguineous marriages — marriages involving people related by blood. The group found correlations with child birth weight, child mortality, household wealth and income, as well as how those marriages affect downstream economic and health outcomes. n nThe research focused on populations where consanguineous marriage remains culturally common, analyzing how genetic variations within these unions relate to children’s development and economic prospects. Mattias Rytting, junior economics major, and Zoey Meyer, junior economics and math finance double-major, spent the summer looking at datasets on Pakistan, tracking the percentage of children born to consanguineous parents and corresponding health markers. n n“I think that the more voices you have at the table and the more perspectives that are represented, the better your answer will be,” Harrell said. n nHarrell teaches Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON 3421), Econometrics (ECON 4470), and will be teaching Health Economics (ECON/HCAD 3433) next semester. For him, studying populations on the periphery of systems reveals insights that center-focused research misses. n n“What I hope that my students leave with is that they learn a lot by going out to the edges of the system and seeing how people who live on the edges of those systems, like a healthcare system or a political system, how people interface with that system,” Harrell said. n nHarell has taught economics at Trinity as well as Vanderbilt University and Georgia State University. He has taught both micro- and macro-economics, but was able to reach into his niche of health economics at Trinity in the spring of 2024. Harrell won the 2021 Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Excellence in Teaching Award for economics. n nFor Meyer, the project offered exposure to specializations within economics she hadn’t encountered in coursework: health, economics and agricultural economics. n n“As someone who’s thinking about going to grad school, but really not sure what specifically in economics interests me yet, it was a good opportunity to look at different aspects of economics,” Meyer said. n nRytting noted that research on consanguineous marriage exists outside typical academic focus areas, making it exactly the kind of work he believes Trinity should pursue. n n“Something might seem like it’s a niche project or the findings aren’t particularly impactful,” Rytting said. “But they can multiply out to something more significant or really meaningful.” He said that even though something may look small, it only diversifies how one approaches certain topics, opening the path for much deeper and larger exploration to happen. n nHarrell tells his students to follow their passion and said that there is value in studying marginalized populations that students may not otherwise get. According to him, stepping outside conventional research boundaries leads to better questions and more comprehensive answers — something both Trinity professors and students continue to prioritize.