News

• Professor Chloe East has received an Early Career Award from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. This prestigious award is given to junior faculty for policy-related research on labor market issues. Professor East's research examines the effects of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("Food Stamps") on adults' labor market and health outcomes. Policy changes in the 1990s have dramatically altered the landscape of the safety net in the U.S.  As a result, the Food Stamp program has become one of the largest safety net programs and is increasingly important for individuals.  Critics of the program argue it reduces the incentive to work, while supporters argue it boosts families’ resources in times of need, potentially also improving nutritional and health outcomes. The effects of the program on these outcomes, however, are largely unknown. Professor East's research uses a large, recent set of policy changes that affected documented immigrants’ eligibility across states and over time from 1996 to 2003, to evaluate the effects of Food Stamps on foreign-born adults’ labor supply and health outcomes in the short-run and long-run. 
• 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 G​PA, 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.​ - written by Professor Hani Mansour
• Read Laura Argys and Andrew Friedson's new study, "Killer Debt: The Impact of Debt on Mortality" and be sure to listen to their radio interview about it.
• Watch Andrew Friedson's Channel 7 interview about the proposed GOP health care bill.

Please e-mail Christine Lukvec with news you'd like posted to acknowledge UCD Economics students.