40 Hours for the Forty Acres Spring 2023

The Economics Undergraduate Research Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates to get involved in academic-quality research. During the fellowship, undergraduates work closely with PhD candidates in the Economics Department on research and receive mentorship in navigating research-oriented careers and graduate school applications.

Undergraduate fellows are able to participate in research topics spanning all fields of economics, including industrial organization, macroeconomics, education economics, labor economics, and health economics.  Previous research topics have included:

• What determines the prices that insurers pay hospitals for health services?
• What are the drivers and determinants of female labor supply?
• How does the quality of attorney assigned to indigent defendants affect case outcomes and later-life criminal behavior and employment?
• What is the impact of providing minimum support prices to Indian farmers on their crop portfolio choice?

The fellowship has proven to be a great resource for undergraduates considering graduate studies and careers in research-intensive industries. Some fellows have entered Economics PhD programs, while others have been research assistants for professors at top universities like MIT.  Many undergraduates will also attest that their research experience in the fellowship program played a key role in their job interviews. The program also benefits the department's graduate students, as it provides them with high-quality research assistance for their research projects, helping them to complete their dissertations and secure employment with top universities, companies, and other organizations.

We are particularly interested in making research opportunities available to undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented groups within Economics, including female students and first-generation college students. These opportunities serve as the best way to create a pipeline for underrepresented groups to access economics graduate programs and other research opportunities.

Our goal is to raise $30,000, which will fully fund the fellowship program for two years. Each fellowship position lasts for one semester, and undergraduate fellows receive a $250 scholarship while participating in the program. Hence, a $250 donation will sponsor one undergraduate research fellow for an entire semester. We expect to have 60 undergraduate fellowship positions over the course of the year, so our total budget is 60 x $250 = $15,000 per year. The entirety of the funds we raise will be distributed to undergraduate fellows in the form of $250 scholarships.