In the Spring 2024 semester, ACRE was able to sponsor several students to travel to conferences on economics and related issues. Two of the major ones were the Women in Economics Symposium in St. Louis and the Society of Business, Industry and Economics conference in Florida. Here are some of the highlights of those two conferences for our students, ACRE staff, and EFIRM faculty.
2024 Women in Economics Symposium at the St. Louis Federal Reserve
Seven women from ACRE’s Women in Economics program had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Women in Economics Symposium at the St. Louis Federal Reserve. This symposium has been an annual event since 2018 and highlights the importance of women and underrepresented groups within the field of economics. Roughly 2,000 guests participated in this event, with some joining the in-person session and others viewing from watch parties across the country.
The theme of this year’s event was “Our Past, Present, and Future,” with Oksana Leukhina (Economics Policy Advisor at the St. Louis Fed) showing how female involvement in economics had changed over time and the distinct gaps in representation that are still occurring. Additionally, the keynote speaker Adriana Kugler (Federal Reserve Board Governor) shared insights into her unique approach to research questions and her personal experiences with this discipline.
Left: ACRE Staff Elise Ormonde, Heidi Saliba, Terra Aquia, Joyce Ajayi
Right: UCA Students Dami Osundolire (Junior), Veronica Bertolusso (Junior), Hannah Dolan (Senior)
To better understand what economics majors can practically do with this degree, this symposium hosted three distinct panels where presenters shared their career experiences both within and outside of academia. The new President and CEO of the St. Louis Federal Reserve also delivered a small speech to share his commitment to supporting women in economics. Throughout the entirety of the event, female mentorship and networking were stressed as ways to promote successful careers in economics and to help this field progress.
For more information, the St. Louis Federal reserve also hosts a Women in Economics Podcast, emphasizing women’s careers and research accomplishments in Economics.
ACRE Researchers Present Economic Work at the Society of Business, Industry and Economics (SOBIE) Conference in Destin, Florida
The SOBIE conference brought together numerous universities across the country and celebrated the importance of academic research on student growth and career development. The Keynote Speaker, Justice Will Sellers, from Alabama delivered his insight on how the Magna Carta changed the perception and concept of government and consequently law economics during his speech, “The Common Law Economy.”
Students and a staff member from University of Central Arkansas presented original research that spanned K-12 education, corruption, occupational licensing, and health economics within the state of Arkansas. This state-relevant research remains important in shaping public policy and promoting open discussion around certain issues.
Perla Zapata (Faculty Mentors: Thomas Snyder, Heidi Saliba) and Anna Turgaeva (Faculty Mentor: Weici Yuan) both received research awards, which celebrated their work on occupational licensing.
Perla Zapata, Elise Ormonde, Dilliran Kadariya, Anna Turgaeva, David Tooley
The individual research projects are outlined below:
Elise Ormonde, ACRE Research & Program Coordinator
“Assessing the Impact of Chronic Absenteeism on Arkansas K-12 Schools and Student Achievement: A Pre- and Post- Pandemic Analysis”
Motivated by recent national media attention on “chronic absenteeism,” which is loosely defined as a student missing ten percent of the school year for any reason, Ormonde analyzed patterns of student attendance in Arkansas across several years. Furthermore, she investigated school district efficiency using per pupil expenditure data and standardized testing scores to estimate costs associated with poor attendance.
Dilliram Kadariya, ACRE Student Research Fellow, Collin Hodges
“Exploring the Relationship Between Screen Time and Substance Abuse Among US High School Students”
Kadariya explored the relationship between heavy screen time and risky health behavior among high school students in the U.S. Utilizing data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, this study investigates the correlation between heavy screen time (5+ hours spent in front of screen not including school or work purpose) as a dependent variable and risky health behaviors such as drinking, smoking, illegal drug use and risky sexual activity as independent variables. Kadariya fund that heavy daily screen time is associated with increased probability of substance abuse (prescription drugs, marijuana) early age drinking (<17 years), binge drinking chain smoking, sex at an early age (<16 years), and decreased probability of having 3+ sexual partners in 3 months. The findings shed light on the evolving landscape of adolescent health behaviors over time, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and public health professionals.
David Tooley, ACRE Student Research Fellow (mentor: Mavuto Kalulu)
“Ethics Committee’s and Corruption: Do Ethics Committee’s Reduce Corruption Cases Within State Legislatures?”
In general ethics committees are self-regulating, self-governing bodies that formulate and recommend legislative standards and conduct for the senators, house members, and legislative employees. Tooley examined the relationship between the presence of an ethics committee within the state legislature and its impact on corruption in the state legislature. Preliminary findings showed no relation, which may imply that legislators introduce ethics committees to signal that they are serious about rooting out corruption in the legislative body. This signal could be in response to internal or external pressure to address corruption.
Anna Turgaeva, ACRE Student Research Fellow (mentor: Weici Yuan)
“Does the Easing of Occupational Licensing Burden Enhance Labor Mobility? Evidence from Policy Regime Changes”
Turgaeva investigated the migration decision of individuals whose occupations are likely affected by Universal Licensing Recognition (ULR). Using a difference-in-differences model, she found a sizable difference in in-migration rates among ULR states relative to control states on the post-ULR period. The effect becomes more pronounced two years after the policy implementation. This suggests that ULR may effectively attract professionals from other states.
Perla Zapata, ACRE Student Research Fellow (mentors: Thomas Snyder and Heidi Saliba)
“The Effect of Occupational Licensing Reforms on DACA Residents”
Zapata’s research, co-authored by Thomas Snyder (Economics Faculty) and Heidi Saliba (Research Associate), analyzed the state occupational licensing laws for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Most states deny occupational licenses to DACA recipients, but some have passed laws lifting the prohibition. Using various sources, Perla estimated the economic benefit of the remaining states lifting the prohibition and allowing DACA recipients to obtain an occupational license.