Honors in Economics
Students who have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and 3.3 in economics, and who complete the research course, ECN 399 (pre requisite is ECN 398), will be considered by the department faculty for the graduation distinction “Honors in Economics”.
Students who have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and 3.3 in courses for the mathematical economics major, and who complete the research courses, ECN 399 (pre requisite is ECN 398), or MTH 391 and 392 with a minimum grade of B- will be considered by the faculty for the graduation distinction, “Honors in Mathematical Economics”.
ECN 398 is offered in the Fall and ECN 399 in the Spring.
Economics/Math Economics majors interested in pursuing Honors should complete Econ 209/Econ 215 in their junior year.
The main benefit of doing honors is that it is independent research, done in conjunction with faculty advice. By getting out of the routine course format, you will discover an entirely new way of learning and also learn a lot about yourself (e.g., Do I have the drive and sense of direction to design and carry out independent work?).
Congratulations to those students who graduated with honors:
Honors in Economics 2024
Shreyas Bhasin – “The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Labor Markets From a Programming Perspective.”
Tristan Duthler – “Where Does Poverty Live Within Cities and What Impact Does This Have on Academic Performance?”
Annie Ma – “Factors that make STEM majors to be attractive to Asian students: Explaining the Asian-White disparities in STEM major retention and probability of switching to a STEM major, and heterogeneity in their impacts.”
Jackie Thacher – “Powering the Future: How Solar Policies Shape Battery Storage Development in the U.S.”
Ziyan Zhong – “Exploring the Dobbs Decision’s Impact on Mental Distress among Women in different Socioeconomic levels.”
Nick Zuga – “Global Capital Flows and the Cost of Capital: Lessons from cross-country evidence on capital controls.”
**High Honors in Economics**
Cameron Blair – “Applicant Markets in Higher Education: Public versus Private Institutions”
Aman Manoj Khemlani – “Organizational Ownership and Its Effects: Application in The California Hospital Sector”
Honors in Economics 2023
Wesley Brace –“Measuring The Effect of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Rule Change on Teams’ Behavior Around the Trade Deadline”
Judy Huang –“Water Consumption, Economic Growth, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): A Cross-Country Analysis ”
Yifan Lu –“What are the effects of constructing a new Electric Vehicle plant to its surrounding economy and labor market?”
Mihai Nistor –“Effects of Insider Ownership on Firm Performance”
Haoyuan Song – “Do Cannabis Social Equity Programs Help? Evidence from California and Massachusetts”
Camden Walrath – “Japan’s Long-Term Deflation Problem: An Anomaly or a Window into the Future?”
**High Honors in Economics**
Natalie Cutter –“Did the Serve Clock Ace Betting Market Efficiency?”
Braden Strackman – “Low-Value Health Services: Disparities and the Impact of the ACA Medicaid Expansion”
Cynthia Wang – “How does Corruption Damage Financial Inclusion?”
Honors in Economics 2022
Gina Beyer – “Let’s Talk About ‘It’: The Effect of Campus Sexual Assault and Associated Publications on Current Student and Prospective Applicant Outcomes”
Sara Cullen – “The Interaction of the Concentration and Duration of LIHTC on Health Outcomes”
Maya Gerster – “Is Civic Pride Worth Subsidizing? An Analysis of How Stadium Subsidies Impact Local Economies”
Henry Hu – “What is Ideal Covid-19 Policy Action that Balances the Tradeoff Between Health and Economic Outcomes”
Jadyn Ives – “Three Strikes and You’re Out? Analyzing the Impact of California’s Three Strike Policy”
Morgan Jacobi – “Understanding Technology as a Catalyst for Changes in Mental Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Matthew Kowalishin – “The Effects of Extreme Weather on Labor Market Dynamics: Hurricane Katrina and Workforce Composition”
Brigid McNamara – “The Relationship between Team and Venue Quality and Fan Engagement in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association”
** High Honors in Economics**
Jacob Grossman – “Incentives for Sponsorship: Does Wearing an Apparel Brand at the AAU and NCAA Levels Increase the Likelihood of Wearing the Same Brand in the NBA?”
Grace Lyons – “The Impact of Comorbid Psychological and Behavioral Conditions on the Length of Pediatric Hospital Stays”
Haosen He – “Modeling Behavioral Response to Infectious Diseases Under Information Delay”
Honors in Economics 2021
Ralph W. Alexander – “Smartphones and Agriculture: How Nigeria’s Technology Boom Affects Rice Production and Food Security”
Scott J. Crowley – “Ballon D’Tourism: Surprising Benefits of Reaching the Semifinals of the World Cup”
Sarah F. Peljovich – “Loosen Up: An Economic Analysis of Deaccessioning and Art Museums”
Kathryn E. Snyder – “Test Optional Admission Policies in Public and Private Postsecondary Education Institutions: Influences on Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity”
Rebecca C. Spritzer – “To Abolish or to Regulate: Legislation Towards Commercial Sex Work and Its Impact on HIV Prevalence”
** High Honors in Economics**
Wen Zhang – “Reexamination of Environmental Kuznets Curve in the U.S.”
Haonan Miao – “The Behavior of the Speculator in Rhino Horn Market”
Olivia R. Nandkeolyar – “A Place for the Government in Sustainable Fashion?”
HONORS IN MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS 2021
Weicheng Jiang – “The Effects of U.S. Monetary Spillovers on Emerging Markets”
Andrew J. Logan – “Foreign Direct Investment, Productivity Spillovers, and Market Concentration”
Harmon A. Rozycki – “Constraints in Prisons and Economic Crises: A Case for Central Bank Digital Currencies”
Honors of Economcis 2020
Alex Cohen – “How Does Corruption Impact the Effectiveness of Foreign Aid?”
James Lee – “Investigating Similarity Index Applications in the Context of the 2008 Recession”
Jianing Li – “Climate Change and Cross-border Forced Migration”
Candelaria Penate – “The Effects of Changes in Cocaine Eradication Strategies on Internal Displacement in Colombia”
Dani Soviero – “Combating the Opioid Epidemic: The Effect of Medication-Assisted Treatment on Opioid-Related Deaths”
Amanda F. Wilcox – “How Does Foreign Import Penetration Impact US Particulate Matter Pollution? Evidence from the China Shock”
Kenny Xiao – “Market Seasonality Anomaly: September Effect”
** High Honors in Economics**
Dylan Ankersen – “Not so Ample Reserves: Estimating the Effective Federal Funds – Interest on Excess Reserves Spread”
James A. Ridgeway – “Electric Scooters and Their Effects on Congestion”
Caroline E. Tompson – “What the Frack? An Analysis of the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on the Public Education System in North Dakota”
HONORS IN MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS 2020
** High Honors in Mathematical Economics**
Robert D. Michele – “Utility Tokens and Transaction Costs”
Honors of Economics 2019
Julie Aaron – “Incentivizing Renewable Energy Generation. The Argument for Increasing the Price of Fossil Fuels in Restructured Markets”
John Clancy – “Voluntary Taxes in Arkansas: an Analysis of Economic Decisions to Pay”
Yiwen Tang – “Fundraising of the New Era! Will Your Online Fundraising Project Be Successful?”
Camille Wixon – “Do APs Get Degrees? Measuring the Effects of College Level Course Credit for Qualifying AP Scores on Major Declaration”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2019
Anna Ellis – “The Importance of Education and Income: Analyzing Consumer Expectations of Home Price Growth and Inflation”
Qifan (Kevin) Yu – Price Elasticity of Digital Subscription Demand: An Event-Study Analysis of Netflix and New York Times”
** High Honors in Mathematical Economics**
Jiayi (Eileen) Zhang – “Analysis of a Fine System for Childhood Vaccination Mandate in Increasing Social Welfare”
Honors in Economics 2018
Lillian R. Gaeto – “What Can the Stock Market Yield to the Offering Plate? An Analysis of the Determinants of Church Member Giving”
Brandon M. Hawkins – “Buy Here, Not There: The Effect of Location on Grocery Pricing”
John Manion – “Performance Analysis of the North Carolina Public Education System”
Rachel Molitor – “The Impact of Noneconomic and Total Damage Caps on Statewide Rate of Malpractice Cases”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2018
Shazia E. L. Siddiqui – “The Great Divide: An Analysis of Political Affiliation and Juror Strikes”
Honors in Economics 2017
Kevin Closs – “Determinants of Post-Education Success: An Examination of School, Human Capital, Social Capital, and Cultural Capital”
Erich Denk – “You say Tomato and I say Tomato: Behavioral Economics, Information Economics, and Inefficiencies in Food Choice”
Matthew Healy – “Is the End of Private Prisons Unwarranted? A Comprehensive Analysis of Prison Violence as a Measure of Efficiency in the American Prison System”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2017
Lindsay Graham – “Analysis of the Taylor Rule and Central Bank Dependency in Setting Interest Rates”
Parker Harris – “Recognizing Risk and Evaluating Correctional Policy: A Hazard-Survival Analysis of Sex Offender Recidivism in South Carolina”
8th Annual Senior Showcase, 2017
Kevin Closs was selected to present his honors thesis at this year’s ZSR Library Showcase.
His research is entitled “Determinants of Post-Education Success: An Examination of School, Human Capital, Social Capital, and Cultural Capital” and explores whether a student’s success in adulthood is more influence by K-12 schooling or by social upbringing. Using approximately 3,700 observations from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study measures the efficacy of homework, hard work, and schooling in general. Though the answer is nuanced, it appears as if inherited social and cultural capital is more indicative of success after finishing high school than is being a disciplined student. That being said, deliberate investment in human capital can improve one’s social standing and has a noted positive impact on academic and professional achievement. This research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Amanda Griffith and Dr. Christina Dalton.
Honors in Economics 2016
Michael Cooper – “Reducing Special Education Costs by Providing Universal Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Autistic Children”
Jaclyn Davis – “Is Private School Worth Borrowing For? Measuring the Effects of Institutional Quality on Student Loan Repayment”
Jon (Jack) Derewicz – “Interpreting Saddam Hussein’s Intentions For Iraq’s Oil Contract Allocations During the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program”
Lauren Formica- “A New Adam Smith Problem”
Steward Rickert – “A Challenge to the Miller Hypothesis: New Evidence of the Muni Puzzle During the Build America Bonds Program”
Hannah Sheffield – “Contraceptive Use and High Risk Behaviors Among US Teens”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2016
Jacob Hurwitz – “A Defense of “Patent Trolls” “
Adrian Martino – “YouTube True View in the Progression of Advertising Technology”
Adam Yudelman – “The National Basketball Association and Fatigue: How Days of Rest Affect NBA Outcome and Game Play”
Honors in Economics 2015
William Anderson – “NCAA Sanctions and their Impact”
Lauren Humphrey – “The Fed’s Role in the Great Financial Crisis”
Kelsy Kuhn – “The Effect of Michigan’s Healthy Kids Dental Program on Provider Participation and Access to Dental Care Among Publicly Insured Children”
Joshua Minardi – “Determinants of Happiness”
Kelsey Mullin – “Giving at Wake Forest University—An Analysis of Alumni Donor Behavior”
Sam Sherman – “To Skip or Not to Skip: A Theoretical and Empirical Approach to How Confidence, Risk Aversion and Competition Affect Test Taking Behavior”
Corina Wixon – “Who is Angelina Pitt? An Economic Analysis of Maiden Name Retention”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2015
Ariel Hawley – “Leontief-Output Models”
Rebecca Regan – “Some Price Dynamics on Networks”
5th Annual Senior Showcase, 2014
We are pleased to announce that Christopher Earle is one of four students selected to present his research at the 5th Annual Senior Showcase on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at 3 p.m. in the ZSR Library Auditorium, Room 404. His theses is titled “Mission Impossible? An Economic Analysis of Guildford County’s Distinctive Pay-for-Performance Plan”.
Honors in Economics 2014
Christopher Earle – “Mission Impossible? An Economic Analysis of Guilford County’s Distinctive Pay-for-Performance Program”
Robert Elmore – “A Global Analysis of the Factors Affecting Sustainability and Portfolio Risk in Microfinance”
Jordan Garside – “Saving the Soul: Rescuing Religion from Economic Overreach”
Sarah Kenyon – “Director Tenure on Firm Performance: How Long is Too Long?”
John McLeod – “The Chinese Rare Earth Export Quota: Implications and Importance”
Stephen Schmitt – “Child Health as a Determinant of Happiness in Bhutan”
Honors in Mathematical Economics 2014
Erik Nelson – “An Economic Analysis of Fake IDs and Their Implications in Bar Management and Legislative Policy”
HONORS IN ECONOMICS 2013
Audrey Loeys – “To Invest at Home or Abroad? How Equity and Bond Home Bias Vary Across Countries and Time”
Travis LaHue – “Who’s Afraid of an Oil Shock? An Analysis of the Impact of an Oil Price Shock on the U.S. Economy”
Amanda Satterwhite – “Economic Development: Examining Aid by Sector”
Caitlin Dourney – “The Effect of Crude Oil Prices on the S&P 500”
Blake Taylor –“Why Subjective Well-Being Remained Constant, 1970 – 2010”
Janna Raley –“Worshiping False Idols? A Study of Nonmarket Valuation Techniques”