James Reeves started his dual M.A. degree in economics and finance in the fall of 2015 and will be graduating in the Spring of 2017. During his time at CU Denver, James maintained a 4.0 GPA, worked with undergraduate students as a teacher assistant, worked as a research assistant for many faculty in the economics departments, has written a first-rate capstone paper, and is involved in several research projects with faculty members. In his capstone project entitled “More to Make or More to Steal: Subsidized Private Investment and Localized Crime”, James studies the impact of place-based programs on crime. Place-based programs, such as the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, are a popular tool of the federal government to combat poverty and assist low-income neighborhoods.
To conduct the analysis, James collected a nationwide comprehensive data set on both investments and crime at the census-track level. His findings suggest that an increase in local investment lowers the incidence of larceny-type crimes over the short-to-medium run after the initial investment. James has also been instrumental in advancing many other projects with faculty members and his research agenda at such an early stage of his professional career is outstanding. After graduation, James plans to pursue a Ph.D. program in economics. James recently accepted a position to work as a research assistant in the Economics Department at Princeton University. This is a highly competitive position, aimed at preparing young economists for their Ph.D. and future academic career. This is a highly competitive position and it is the first time a CU Denver student was selected for it. His selection from a very large national pool of applicants speaks to his quality and achievements while at the University of Colorado Denver.