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UNC is a fairly large department of economics compared to Rice University in terms of both class and faculty size. Therefore, other things being equal, I think UNC should be a better pick from the two. It's a much safer place if your interests start changing down the road. In addition, UNC has a PhD-granting business school, unlike Rice, which potentially could benefit students with interests in I/O. Econometrics at UNC is also better than at Rice, and they're hiring more econometricians. UNC is known for offering a very unique field in financial econometrics, but they also have a fair number of people who work in microeconometrics, applied and theoretical. Some people mentioned on this board that UNC was on a decline during the last few years, but I think they're working on fixing that. I think UNC is bringing something like 4-5 new professors, including at least two new assistant professors who work in econometrics and some senior faculty members as well. The faculty roster at Rice lists only two professors who work in I/O. Again, UNC has an upper hand here. So, overall, UNC is a much better place than Rice, IMHO. There is no question. The only issue is whether UNC is "safe" enough for you.
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