Listed below are several student research projects completed in the department, including external presentations, award-winning senior theses, faculty-student research projects, and Richter projects.
External Presentations
- Kat Beall ’18
Won first prize in the undergraduate paper competition at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2018 for her paper, “Defined Contribution Plans and the 2008 Financial Crisis.”
- Lauren Bell ’18
Won honorable mention in the undergraduate paper competition at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2018 for her paper, “Predicting Teacher Attitudes Toward Education Reform Initiatives.”
- Alex Rhodes ’18
Presented “The Impact of Local Economies on Recent Elections” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2018 and at the Association for Private Enterprise Education Meetings in April 2018.
- Luke Shylanski ’18
Presented “Economic Outlooks in the Age of Fake News” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2018 and at the Association for Private Enterprise Education Meetings in April 2018.
- M. Casey Harfiel ’17
Won second prize in the undergraduate paper competition at the Western Social Science Association Annual Meetings in April 2017 for her paper, “Exploring the Gender Gap in Art Museums.”
- Marcel Tatum ’17
Presented “Decision-Making during Times of Crisis” at the Eastern Economics Association Annual Meetings in February 2017 and the Western Social Science Association Meetings in March 2017.
- Ned Yonkers ’16
Presented “How Surprise Affects Decision-Making Behavior: An Adaptation of Prospect Theory” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2016.
- Alexis Yusim ’15
Presented “Do Measures of Growth Instituted by No Child Left Behind Effectively Capture Student Improvement” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2015.
- Margaret Hennessy ’14
Won first prize in the undergraduate paper competition at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2014 for her paper, “Germany’s 2007 Parental Leave Reforms: The Effects on Women’s Return-to-Work Decisions Following Childbirth.” She also presented her research at the Association of Private Enterprise Education Annual Meetings in April 2014.
- Lucy-George Cooper ’14
Presented “The Impact of Microfinance on Female Entrepreneurs in Tanzania” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2014 and at the Association for Private Enterprise Education Annual Meetings in April 2014.”
- Evan Piermont ’11
Won first prize in the undergraduate paper competition at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2011 for his paper, “Discounting and Utility: Systematic Changes in Willingness to Pay as a Response to Changes in Prices.”
- Tasheka Aikman ’11
Presented “Understanding Economic Growth in Jamaica” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2011.
- Katherine Crockett ’11
Presented “Behavioral Economics: Power, Gender, and Group Decision Making” at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March, 2009.
- Katie Lupo ’06
Received honorable mention in the undergraduate paper competition at theMidwest Economics Association Annual Meetings in March 2006 for her presentation, “Wage Convergence Among German Women Post-Unification.”
Award-Winning Senior Theses
- Devin Tyler ’17
“Black Entrepreneurs on the Rise: The Success Model” earned Distinction.
- Ned Yonkers ’16
“How Surprise Affects Decision-Making Behavior: An Adaptation of Prospect Theory” was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best senior thesis in 2016.
- Alexis Yusim ’15
“An Analysis of Student Achievement and Measures of Growth under No Child Left Behind” was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for the best senior thesis in 2015.
- Sylwia Dakowicz ’10
“Eco-certified Real Estate in Chicago: An Investigation into Corporate Social Responsibility” was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best senior thesis in 2013.
- Gabriella Panayotova ’10
“An Empirical Study of Security-Related Transparency in International Relations” was jointly awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best senior thesis in 2010.
- Katie Lupo ’06
Published her senior thesis, “The Pattern of Convergence of Eastern German Labor Markets to Western Standards Post-Unification,” in Undergraduate Economic Review, volume 2, issue 1, 2006.
- Loveena Dookhony ’05
“The Impact of Orphanhood on Health Status and Educational Attainment of Children in Uganda” was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best senior thesis in 2005.
- Dimitar Antov ’01
“Game theory applied to bargaining in economics: general perspectives and a new mathematical model” was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best senior thesis in 2001.
Faculty-Student Research
- Ben Labaschin ’16
Worked with Professor Sandberg on the “Visitor Use of the Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve.” He surveyed over 500 visitors to the preserve, helping the preserve to offer facilities that best protect ecological values while providing benefits to visitors.
- Linh Tran ’16
Worked with Professor Dlabay on “Investments with the Most Impact on Poverty: Suggested Actions for Bright Hope International” (www.brighthope.org), which was funded by the Groner Foundation.
- Evan Piermont ’11
Worked with Professor Felkey in writing “They don’t have to be Giffen Goods: Behavioral Reasons Why Demand can Slope Upward.”
- Mariaya Nikolova ’07
Worked with Professor Baade in writing “A Tale of Two Stadiums: Comparing the Economic Impact of Chicago’s Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field,” which later appeared inGeographische Rundschau International Edition, volume 3, issue 1, 2007.
- Claus Hoerandner ’06
Worked with Professor Lemke in writing “Can No Child Left Behind Close the Gaps in Pass Rates on Standardized Tests,” which later appeared in Contemporary Economic Policy, volume 24, issue 1, 2006.
Richter Projects
- Alex Rhodes ’18
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2016 on “Informal Financial Services in China.”
- Cassandra Lira ’18
Worked with Professor Dlabay on “Women’s Empowerment and Value Chains: The Role of Informal Financial Services” during the summer of 2016.
- Sabelo Zwane ’18
Worked with Professor Dlabay on “The Economic, Seasonal, and Household Life Cycles of Informal Financial Services” during the summer of 2016.
- Samuel Valcin ’16
Wrote “An Analysis of Pet Food Label Usage” during the summer of 2013 under the guidance of Professor Lemke. The paper, published with co-authors William Burkholder, Charlotte Conway, and Amy Lando, is published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 49(3), 2015, pp. 627-638.
- Ariana Rincon Dacal ’14
Worked on “Expanding Access of Financial Services through Formal and Informal Linkages” with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2011.
- Qi Chen ’14
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2011 on “Loan or Grant? Microfinance Activities: A Market Approach to Sustainable Community Development.”
- Nick Kliminski ’14
Worked on “Global Cereal Packaging, Supply Chians, and Branding in Informal and Formal Settings” with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2011.
- Elise Beckman ’13, Becky Esrock ’13 and Wenqiang Cai ’13
Wrote “Explaining Game-to-Game Ticket Sales for Major League Baseball Games Over Time” during the summer of 2010 under the guidance of Professor Lemke. The paper is published in the Journal of Sports Economics, Vol. 13(5), 2012, pp. 536-553.
- Kaitlyn Martin ’13 and Farzeen Tariq ’13
Jointly studied “Portfolios of the Poor: Macro and Micro Empowerment of Women” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2010.
- Caitlin Smith ’12
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2012 on “Managed Capitalism: Formal and Informal Funding Sources in China.”
- Matthew Leonard ’11 and Kelebogile Tlhokwane ’11
Worked with Professor Lemke during the summer of 2008. Their paper, “Estimating Attendance at Major League Baseball Games for the 2007 Season,” was later published in Journal of Sports Economics, volume 11, issue 2, 2010.
- Kathryn Duncan ’11
Conducted research on “Having Children. Does it Matter Who Wears the Pants in the Family?” with Professor Felkey during the summer of 2008.
- Anum Haider ’10
Under the guidance of Professor Felkey carried out research on “Variation in Pill Use: Do Abortion Laws Matter?” during the summer of 2008.
- Deepika Ramachandran ’11
Worked on “RoSCAs: Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in India” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2008.
- Abby Carney ’10
Studied “Microfinance and Economic Development: A Comparison of Domestic and International Organizations” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2007.
- Christine Dobies ’10
Studied “Microenterprise Activity in Africa: Implications for Economic Development” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2007.
- Christopher Janjigian ’10
Worked with Professor Dlabay on “The Monetary Failure of Zimbabwe” during the summer of 2007.
- Julie Maskulka ’10
Worked on “The Informal Economy: What, How, and Why?” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2007.
- Asa Reynolds ’09
Researched “Dollarization in Latin America and Europe” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2006.
- Deepti Sharma ’09
Worked with Professor Dlabay on “The Informal Economy: Characteristics, Causes, and Consequences” during the summer of 2006.
- Greg Reger ’08
Researched “A Comparison of Formal and Informal Settings/Markets for Currency Exchange” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2005.
- Laney Shaler ’08
Studies “Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation: A Regional Comparison” under the guidance of Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2005
- Maria Siezar ’08
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2005 researching “Exploring Global Chicago: Ethnic Neighborhoods and Their Place in International Studies and Business.”
- Ted Barzev ’07, Linna Filipova, and Veska Suleva ’ 07
Wrote “Economics BA’s and PhD’s from Liberal Arts Colleges: Do Degree Requirements or Faculty Scholarship Matter?” ERN Educator Working Paper Series; SSRN Abstract 654241 under the direction of Professor Lemke for their summer 2004 Richter project.
- Colin Danley ’ 07 and Henry Schenker ’07
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2004 researching “Dollarization Around the World: A Comparison of Formal and Informal Economic Settings.”
- Claus Hoerandner ’06 and Robert McMahon ’06
Worked with Professor Lemke during the summer of 2003. Their paper, “Student Assessments, Non-Test-Takers, and School Accountability,” was later published in Education Economics, volume 14, issue 2, 2006.
- Becky Martin ’06
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2003 on “Researching the Informal Economy: A Comparison of Cultural and Economic Traditions.”
- John Karner ’05, Kathie Khomyachenko ’05, Allison Klein ’05, and Emily Woods ’05
Worked with Professor Dlabay during the summer of 2002 researching “Informal Economic Settings in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.”