Students presented their individual comprehensive research projects on economic issues.
Thirty-three seniors majoring in economics or international economics successfully presented undergraduate research theses to faculty members in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business’ Department of Economics.
The senior thesis is the culmination of the economics major and serves as the students’ required comprehensive evaluation in the major field of study. For this research project, economics majors work individually with a professor to build on work done in previous courses, culminating in a work of presentation quality.
The completed work is presented before the Department of Economics, as well as in public forums such as Elon’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum and the Eastern Economic Association’s annual conference.
The 2015 theses:
Alexandra L. Worsham
“Does Unemployment News Guide the Stock Market? Why Bad News is Good News”
Mentor: Vitaliy Strohush
Anna P. Johnson
“Cross Country Analysis of Globalization’s Effect on Gender Inequality”
Mentor: Tina Das
Anne E. Barker
“Effects of the Gender Wage Gap on Women’s Choice of Major”
Mentor: Tonmoy Islam
Annie H. Cosby
“Retail Agglomeration: A Study of Shopping Centers in the U.S.”
Mentor: Vitaliy Strohush
Ashley P. Roth
“The Effect of Adolescent Fertility Rates on the Gender Gap in Education Worldwide”
Mentor: Tina Das
Burke R. Hrovat
“Probability of Student Loan Default”
Mentor: Vitaliy Strohush
Cameron G. Saucier
“Alt. Online Business Models for the News Industry”
Mentor: Tina Das
Christopher G. Battaglia
“Does Nurse Staffing Affect Patient Safety?: A Long-Run Study of California’s Minimum Nurse Staffing Law”
Mentor: Katy Rouse
Cole S. Voynick
“Fiscal Decentralization and Growth”
Mentor: Mark Kurt
Dana A. Gullquist
“The Effects of government spending on Unemployment”
Mentor: Jennifer Platania
Daniel R. Spiller
“Is Foreign Box Office Success Driving the Increase in Sequels, Franchises, and Non-Original Film?”
Mentor: Mark Kurt
Daniel W. Griffin
“Economics vs. Sociology: The Big Differences in Social Sciences”
Mentor: Gregory Lilly
Garret Mann
“Shaking Things Up: The Marginal Effects of Football Schemes After a Change at the Top”
Mentor: Tonmoy Islam
Jake R. Valente
“Major lawsuits’ affect on music piracy”
Mentor: Jim Barbour
Jennifer A. Smith
“MARRIED TO THE JOB: Allocation of Time and Household Production for Fully Employed Couples”
Mentor: Steve DeLoach
John G. Johnson
“Taylor Rule: Iceland & Sweden”
Mentor: Tonmoy Islam
Jonathan D. Russell
“Internet Speed’s effect on Educational Success in the U.S.”
Mentor: Katy Rouse
Jordan M. Grover
“Losing the Free Trade Monopoly”
Mentor: Steve DeLoach
Karl T. Dick
“Airport Growth”
Mentor: Steven Bednar
Katherine A. Larson
“Cross Price Elasticity between Private Label & National Brands”
Mentor: Jim Barbour
Katherine E. Welch
“From Cronkite to Williams: The Effect of Science Media on STEM Majors”
Mentor: Steve DeLoach
Keegan C. De Silva
“Skills Mismatch in the US Labor Market”
Mentor: Gregory Lilly
Kyle R. Groves
“Plugged In: Examining the Effects of Non-Academic Media (NAM) on Student Performance”
Mentor: Katy Rouse
Kyle S. Hoganson
“The Contract Year”
Mentor: Jennifer Platania
Lauren A. Simms
“Money Vs. Mortality: The Effect Of Income Inequality On Infant Mortality Rates”
Mentor: Casey Dirienzo
Maria E. Restuccio
“Healthcare Aid: Does Health Aid Decrease Disease Prevalence and Improve Global Health?”
Mentor: Andrew Greenland
Matthew L. Baum
“Media Attention’s Affect on Firm’s Investments”
Mentor: Jennifer Platania
Meaghan A. Walsh
“Student Loan Debt and its Effect on the Housing Market”
Mentor: Steven Bednar
Nicholas A. Mayersohn
“An Analysis of the 2006 NBA Age Minimum and its Effect on Early Entry in the NBA Draft”
Mentor: Casey Dirienzo
Rachel P. Kagan
“Does Beer Presence Affect Underage Drinking?”
Mentor: Andrew Greenland
Robert W. Shelly
“Electronic cigarettes and young adults”
Mentor: Casey Dirienzo
Shruti Anantatmula
“The effect of Prospera on College enrollment in Mexico”
Mentor: Tonmoy Islam
Stefano Lorenzo M. de la Feld
“To What Extent does Language and Culture Effect Economic Behavior?”
Mentor: Vitaliy Strohush