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 , 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 51��¥ 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.

From reading groups and guest speakers, to professional development for educators and media mentions by the White House, ACRE has had another successful semester of economics, education, and policy research. We hope you’ve been able to come to one of our events on campus, or read some of our many materials online.

Distinguished Speaker Series & Colloquium

Michael Munger (right) with Jeremy Horpedahl

Our final guest speaker for the Fall 2023 semester was Michael Munger from Duke University, who gave a public talk on “Monopoly Power, Political Power, and the Problem of Platforms,” and also joined UCA students in several classes. Munger followed two other speakers this semester: Emily Hamilton from the Mercatus Center, who spoke about housing policy and affordability; and David Bernstein from George Mason University Law School, who spoke about the history of racial classification in the United States. Professor Bernstein was also the keynote speaker for and a participant in our annual ACRE Colloquium, which brought students and professors from across Arkansas together for a weekend to discuss the ideas in Bernstein’s book.

Fall Reading Groups

Students in Dr. Jacob Held’s “Landmark Supreme Court” reading group

Our reading groups set an ACRE record this semester! More students applied than ever before, resulting in a wait-list to participate. One of those groups visited Southern Methodist University in October for a weekend discussion event with students at other universities, and keynote speaker Dr. Bart Wilson from Chapman University. Our Spring 2024 reading groups will be announced soon, and we look forward to having another good response from UCA students.

K-12 Programs

ACRE’s K12 program has hosted a number of professional development opportunities for educators across Arkansas. This past month’s engaging topics included: “Economic Mysteries in Economic History: What was Roaring about the Twenties?” and “The 2023 Economics Nobel Prize: Claudia Goldin, Women, & Work.”  Looking ahead, the ACRE educator reading group will continue this spring. For a full list of K12 offerings, to sign up for the K12 newsletter, or request a classroom visit this spring, go to

Government Transparency in Arkansas

AFOIA in the State Constitution:

Lately in Arkansas there has been a lot of discussion about government transparency, both during the Special Session of the Arkansas General Assembly in September and in the aftermath of the legislative session, from which a citizen initiative emerged proposing the incorporation of Arkansas’s Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA) into the state constitution. ACRE Policy Analyst Dr. Joyce Ajayi has continued tracking these developments and offering her expertise to help support the public debate on the issue. In November, she participated as a panelist at a town hall meeting on this topic in Conway and also authored an op-ed, “,” published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. In the piece, she elaborates on the consequences and implications of incorporating AFOIA into the state constitution, emphasizing the need for careful consideration of both advantages and drawbacks.

Looking ahead, Joyce, along with a team of researchers across Arkansas, is co-authoring the Arkansas Civic Health Index. This publication will offer a comprehensive analysis of Arkansas’s civic health, including aspects like web transparency. The report, set to be released in December, will provide insights into the civic and political engagement landscape in Arkansas, showcasing strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities.

Media

As part of my role as Director at ACRE and a UCA professor, I regularly appear in the media and write popular essays about economics. A few of those outreach activities stood out as especially interesting and important this semester.

• I once again appeared on PBS’s Arkansas Week program and how that relates to public policy, such as the state budget.
• The Charles Koch Foundation featured an essay I wrote explaining . That essay summarizes a lot of the principles we use to think about fiscal policy at ACRE in our research and educational outreach.
• Lastly, a somewhat light-hearted blog post that I wrote about the cost of a , surprised me by getting picked up by a lot of media sources, as well as the a claim the White House made. I was not expecting that, but I am glad that someone is reading my work!

New Employees

ACRE is set to accomplish even more in the coming year with the addition of two outstanding individuals to our team. Elise Ormonde and Heidi Saliba each bring unique skillsets and perspectives to ACRE’s research and outreach. We are fortunate to welcome them, and you can read more about both here.

All of us at ACRE hope that you have a wonderful last few weeks of 2023, and we look forward to sharing more about all of our events, research, and student programs in 2024.

The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) welcomes Heidi Saliba and Elise Ormonde as two new, dynamic team members. These gifted people offer a multitude of expertise, a variety of skill sets, and a common enthusiasm for improving not only Arkansas’s economic climate but the lives of all individuals who reside here as well.

Heidi Saliba: A Multidisciplinary Asset

Saliba comes to ACRE with a multifaceted background and is set to focus on occupational licensing and property rights. Her current projects include collaborating with Dr. Rania al-Bawwab to explore the economic implications of free speech violations, working with Dr. Mavuto Kalulu and Dr. al-Bawwab to learn about perceptions of corruption in the US and South Africa, and examining the role of risk management in occupational licensing projects with a team that includes Dr. Thomas Snyder and UCA honors student Perla Zapata.

Economic transparency is important to Saliba. “I think it’s important to make scholarly work available to everyone,” she says. “This dedication of ACRE is in line with my objective to offer suggestions that minimize obstacles for individuals and safeguard their Constitutional rights.”

Saliba’s unique contribution to the team lies in her diverse experiences, ranging from healthcare research and administration to journalism and web design. She is drawn to ACRE’s commitment to making scholarly work accessible to all Arkansans.

She is also working with Elise Ormonde on a spring event for the College of Business, celebrating research and recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of UCA’s students.

Speaking about her philosophy, Saliba remarked, “Integrity and truthfulness are at the core of my work. I place value on bringing out the strengths and talents of others and learning about the intersections of culture and society.”

Elise Ormonde: Bridging Gaps in Education and Economics

Ormonde joined ACRE at the beginning of September. A 2022 graduate of Hendrix College, she brings a background in economics and psychology. Ormonde’s research focuses on K-12 education, emphasizing transparency in COVID funding for education and exploring health economics.

Ormonde views herself as a connection between students and instructors, encouraging student participation in academic programs. She is very passionate about student involvement in order to enhance educational experiences and set students up for success post-graduation. Elise is in a unique position to work on student programming because she is a recent graduate, making her well-informed about the preferences and needs of students.

Her decision to work at ACRE was fueled by an appreciation of ACRE’s narrowed focus on Arkansas. Ormonde explains, “I’m excited to be part of an Arkansas-based research center like ACRE, addressing specific challenges in healthcare and education with a non-partisan, research-based approach.”

Ormonde believes ACRE improves Arkansans’ lives by contributing valuable economic research, connecting people with academic resources, and bringing people together within the community. She actively engages in student programs, running an economic reading group, mentoring student fellows on research projects and helping to develop a Women in Economics program on UCA campus.

Ormonde participates in a number of student-focused initiatives, demonstrating her dedication to helping create a more robust economic community in Arkansas.

As ACRE continues to grow, the addition of Heidi Saliba and Elise Ormonde further strengthens its commitment to impactful, community-driven economic research. Their unique skills and dedication to ACRE’s mission promise a future of continued success for the research center. Read more about ACRE’s team members here.

2023 Colloquium attendees

By Terra Aquia, Educational Programs Manager

The ACRE Colloquium brings together students and faculty from universities across the state of Arkansas. Attendees spend a weekend reading and discussing economic topics from collections of primary & secondary sources. The 2023 Colloquium program was organized by Dr. Wendy Lucas, History Chair and Professor at the 51��¥, and held at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on October 13-15. The topic for the weekend was Creating and Categorizing Race.��

David Bernstein and colloquium attendees

David E. Bernstein, Professor and Chair at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, attended the event and presented the keynote address on his book Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America. Bernstein’s work outlines the history and current issues surrounding the use of racial classification in the United States. Alongside the book, colloquium attendees read a collection of historical articles that explored the origins of various racial classifications and their use throughout history.

Throughout the weekend, students and faculty discussed the topics through formal structured discussions, as well as casual discussions over meals and during breaks. Attendees consisted of students and faculty from a variety of disciplines including history, economics, philosophy,

ACRE Director Jeremy Horpedahl and colloquium attendees

political science, business, and more. The interdisciplinary backgrounds of attendees allowed for rich discussions from a variety of perspectives.

The ACRE Colloquium is hosted annually. Past topics have included The Political Economy of Special Interest Groups, Free Enterprise & Socialism, and The Morality of Profit. University faculty interested in attending or having their students attend the event can reach out to Educational Programs Manager Terra Aquia at tvotaw@uca.edu for more information.

The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics continued its Fall 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series with a presentation from Dr. Emily Hamilton on October 26. Dr. Hamilton is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her research focuses on urban economics, land use policy, and housing affordability. She is often asked to testify before various state legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives to share her expertise on these topics.

Emily Hamilton and ACRE Director Jeremy Horpedahl

Throughout Dr. Hamilton’s presentation, students, faculty, and community members learned the background and history of zoning policy and the relationship between local land-use regulations and rising housing costs in American cities. She explained how higher costs contribute to slower economic growth and prevent cities from being affordable places for people to live, even if they are regions that are offering beneficial job opportunities and competitive wages. In particular, Dr. Hamilton argued that are one of the most important zoning rules that increase the cost of housing, because they prevent construction of more houses on a given piece of land.

Pointing to Houston, Texas, as an example of a city with relatively high levels of housing affordability compared to other U.S. cities, Hamilton highlighted their lack of use-zoning and how residents have voted against adopting a zoning ordinance every time a proposal has been present on a ballot. Dr. Hamilton’s work allows us to better understand the economic implications of housing prices under supply constraints and the effects of housing policies.

The final public lecture for the ACRE Fall 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series will conclude with a presentation on November 28, by Dr. Michael C. Munger on “Monopoly Power, Political Power, and the Problem of Platforms.”

Each semester, The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) gives UCA students the opportunity to apply for scholarships by participating in one of its weekly reading groups, such as the economics group, law group, philosophy group and Biz@Bear group. This academic year $28,700 was awarded for 70 reading group scholarships among 59 students.

“The goal of these groups,” explains ACRE Director and Associate Professor of Economics Jeremy Horpedahl, “is to get students thinking and talking about interesting ideas.” Students have an opportunity to learn from each other and interact with professors in a more casual environment. Students of all majors are encouraged to apply and those accepted are responsible for weekly readings and discussions.

Reading Group participants often receive opportunities to travel. This March, 13 UCA students in the ACRE Economics Reading Group participated in a summit at Southern Methodist University (left).�� UCA, SMU, and Northern Michigan students met with Economist  from Harvard University. Dr. Glaeser authored several of the group’s readings.

Past reading group topics include “Economics, Evolution and the Environment,” “Capitalism, Socialism, and Human Flourishing,” “Landmark Supreme Court Cases,” and “Dr. Seuss and Philosophy.” For more information on reading groups visit this page or watch message from ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl about past reading groups.

In addition to its reading groups, ACRE also provides student scholarships to its annual colloquium, which brings together students and faculty from universities across Arkansas. ACRE provided $3,500 in scholarships to this year’s event, “The Terrors of the First Night: Taverns, Commerce, and the Violent Birth of British-American “Liberty” 1765 — 1766,” which was held at the Winrock Rockefeller Institute. Seven UCA students received scholarships to attend, along with 13 students from other Arkansas universities.

During the legislative session ACRE staff are frequently focused on bills and testifying before committee. But our dedication to education and outreach to students is a pillar of ACRE’s mission and presents opportunities for student involvement year-round.

Recently, ACRE Policy Analyst Dr. Joyce Ajayi and ACRE Program Coordinator Terra Aquia lad an ACRE-sponsored travel opportunity to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. Four UCA students from the UCA College of Business (Madison Peyton, Sophomore Economics Major; Brenna Dobson, Junior Data Analytics Major; Sydney Klein, Freshman Marketing Major; and Mariah Manning, Sophomore Economics Major) attended the Women in Economics Symposium. This annual symposium began in 2018 at the St. Louis Fed, along with the with the goal of connecting young women with accomplished women in the economics profession.

At the 2023 symposium, speaker Stephanie Aaronson, a Senior Associate Director, Division of Research and Statistics for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin, shared personal experiences of studying economics and then learning where they wanted to apply their knowledge in the workplace. They answered several questions from student attendees about graduate and PhD programs, finding entry level positions in economics fields, what skills and talents to highlight, and how to navigate salary negotiations.

The student trip to the Women in Economics symposium is just one of the many ACRE programs for UCA students. ACRE sponsors a variety of university student programming to create engaging learning experiences for students and discuss economic ideas in a variety of academic settings. UCA business students can participate in the ACRE Cubs & Biz@Bear programs right from their residence halls. Every semester students from all UCA majors participate in ACRE Reading Groups where students meet weekly to discuss economics readings and topics. Students who excel in ACRE programs often apply for an ACRE Research Fellowship where they work with a faculty mentor to produce real, publishable research in topics related to ACRE’s mission such as occupational licensing, taxes, government spending, and more. For more information about any of ACRE’s university student programs, please visit /acre/undergraduate-research-fellows/ or reach us by email at acre@uca.edu.