Undergraduate Student Work
This collection contains works written by undergraduate students in the Department of Economics at the University of Northern Iowa. All student works require department, unit, or individual faculty review.
To go to the Department of Economics page, click here.
Submissions from 2023
Better Solutions to Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Access: Giving Away Vaccines Rather than Vaccine Formulas, Tristen Prouse Open Access Honors Program Thesis
How to Not Save the World from COVID-19: The Dire Consequences of Giving Away the Vaccine Formula [poster], Tristen Prouse Open Access Poster Presentation
Submissions from 2021
Homeownership by race: Factors that explain the homeownership gap between blacks and whites, Sarah Madsen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Evaluating college students' attitudes and understanding of recycling, Taylor Shipley Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2020
A statistical analysis of the NFL draft, Jaedon Bettle Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Measuring Earnings Through Performance: A Replication of the Return to Skill of PGA Tour Golfers, Chase A. Collins
Determinants of long-term care insurance: Are spouses substitutes?, Jacob Harold-Matthew Haag Open Access Honors Program Thesis
What Determines Whether or Not Individuals Purchase Long Term Care Insurance [Poster], Jacob Harold-Matthew Haag Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
An empirical analysis on major league soccer player earnings, Aaron Michael Anderson Iehl Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Can Doing Good Reduce Risk? Corporate Social Responsibility and Risk for Firms in Controversial Industries, Emily Iehl
Using the Home-Underdog Theory to Test the Efficiency of the NFL Sports Gambling Market, DJ Loutsch
An Analysis of the Secondary Market for Live Music and Complementary Goods, Trevor Wangsness
Submissions from 2019
Alcohol and marijuana: Substitutes or complements and a deeper evaluation of marijuana prohibition, Nicholas Andrew Brown Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effects of Relative Wages and Border Enforcement on Illegal Immigration, Aaron Iehl
The effects of casinos on unemployment: A county level analysis, Sally Anne St. Clair Kron Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Foreign-born workers' effect on agricultural industry in Iowa, Hannah McDevitt Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Valuation Multiples: Identifying Undervalued Stocks From 1987 to 2017, Luke Muller
Determinants of Box Office Performance: Return of the Regressions, Griffin Scott
Maternal Mortality in the U.S., Christine Shipley
Examining the NCAA selection process for bias against mid-majors, Jackson Twait Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2018
Should Division I College Athletes Receive Compensation in Excess of their Scholarships?, Trey Kilburg
Technological Unemployment in the United States: A State-Level Analysis, Courtney Krousie
Identifying the Risk Factors for Food Insecurity in the United States, Destiny Leitz
Marriage premium among homosexual men in the United States, Cole Robert Malcolm Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Gentrification in Polk County, Iowa, Danielle Massey
English proficiency and earnings of U.S. immigrants, Toni F. Moeller Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2017
An Analysis of the Causal Relationship Between Transportation and GDP: A Time-Series Approach for the United States, Arijan Alagic
The Gender Pay Gap in College Basketball: Is Discrimination the Driving Factor?, Melissa Ament
The Effect of Childhood Siblings on Adult Income, Heather Bavido Open Access Poster Presentation
Determinants of IPO Underpricing: Tech vs Non-Tech Industries, Jordan Beck
Major depressive disorder in adults: Determining demographic causes and links between health insurance and government aid, Taylor Lillian Fox Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
The 2008 Financial Recession and Fair Value Accounting, Anthony Hurlburt
Factors Affecting Student Graduation Rates, Kaleb Luse Open Access Poster Presentation
The Return of the Machinery Question: Is it different this time?, Kaleb Luse
The effects of governance and inequality on economic growth, Ethan James Philo Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Events from 2016
Determinants of the GPA's of College Students, Mitchell Beckman Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Factors Influencing College Choice: A Study of Enrollment Decisions at a Regional Comprehensive University, Trevor Draisey
The determinants of NFL player salaries, Trevor Draisey Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Health Savings Accounts: Benefits, Costs, and Potential Effects, Conrad Keezer
Elasticity of Food Demand by Outlet: Effects of the Nutrition Labeling Provision of the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McGee
Determinants of NBA Average Annual Attendance by Team, Kevin Joseph McGee Open Access Poster Presentation
Determinants of per game average annual attendance for NBA teams, Kevin Joseph McGee Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Examining the renewable energy consumption-economic growth nexus in sub-Saharan African countries, Luke Neuhaus Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Efficiency of the Major League Baseball Free-Agent Market, Jacob Oswald
The effects of colonial origin on economic growth, Erica Lynn Pabst Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
2014 Welfare Use by Immigrants vs. Natives in the United States, Jessica Pabst
Changing the Calculus: An Investigation of Undergraduate Economics Program Quality, Lindsey Pedersen
Submissions from 2015
Latinos in the Major Leagues from 1920 to 1939: A Human Capital Approach, Tom Cullen
Easterlin or Cantril: Does a Country’s Income Determine its People’s Happiness?, Jon Heinzman
By How Much Does a College Degree Affect Earnings?, Jennifer Lewis
Higher education expenditures and revenues : a case study on the University of Northern Iowa, Thomas Keld Madsen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Does religion affect economic growth?, Parash Upreti Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Factors Affecting Economic Growth in Developing Countries, Parash Upreti
Submissions from 2014
Were Revenues of National Basketball Association Franchises Affected by the Tim Donaghy Gambling Scandal of 2007?, Travis Buhrow
The Final Four Formula: A Binary Choice Logit Model to Predict the SemiFinalists of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, Cameron Fuqua
Royal Flush or Just a Bluff: Casinos and County Unemployment in the Midwestern United States, Amber Irlmeier
What variables explain differences in coaching salaries for Division I women's sports?, Tyler Lange Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Determinants of college hockey attendance, Max Martino Open Access Honors Program Thesis
From College to the NFL Playoffs: An Analysis of Individual Contribution to Team Success, Elizabeth Mastalio Open Access Honors Program Thesis
What Motivates U.S. Food Aid Donations? Characteristics of Countries That Received Food Aid from the U.S. in 2012, Beth Monnier
Determinants of poverty and strategies to reduce poverty in Cambodia, Beth A. Monnier Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Automation and the Labor Force, Loren Nerhus
Submissions from 2013
Does Success on the Grid-Iron and Court Increase Applications to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Schools?, Andrew Dykstra
Would the 1995 Balanced Budget Amendment be an Effective Mechanism for Stabilizing Public Debt?, James Harbaugh
Differences in Child Care Costs Between States and Their Influence on Female Labor Force Participation, Kirstin Knobloch
Education and Fertility: The Effect of Field of Study on Women’s Fertility Decisions, Emily Scholtes
Do NHL Teams Regard Violence as a Positive Player Attribute and Thus Compensate for Violent Acts?, Mitch Zimmerman
Submissions from 2012
Economic Development Strategy: The Creative Capital Theory, Zach Fairlie
"The Effect of Basic Financial Literacy on Choice of College Major": A Study of Accounting and Education Majors at a Four-Year University in the Midwest, Austin Prescott Foster Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Most Influential Factors in Determining the Happiness of Nations, Julie Lang
Why Do Corporations Donate? An Analysis of Factors Affecting Corporate Philanthropy, Patrick Luensmann Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effects of Property Rights on Ocean Resources: Two Possible Solutions to the Tragedy of the Commons, Nathan David Miller Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Explaining Differences in Unemployment Rates across Iowa Counties in the Early Stages of the Great Recession, Joslyn Sailer
What is the Source of the Male Marital Wage Premium?, Aaron Strike
Why do Firms Repurchase Stock?, Jordan Voss
Submissions from 2011
Current Account Imbalances Within the Eurozone, Tom Augspurger
An Examination of Law School Employment Data, Trevor Boeckmann
The Built Environment’s Effect on Obesity in the United States, Charlie Cowell
An Analysis of Financial Leverage and the 2007-2009 Financial Crisis, Larissa A. French Open Access Honors Program Thesis
What Determines the Performance of Graduates? Evidence From Top Business Schools, Matt Peterson
Determinants of Economic Growth in Latin America, Kristi Philips
Submissions from 2010
Can the ‘Fat Tax’ Carry its Weight?, Carl Bakker
The Motherhood Wage Penalty in America, Jennifer A. Boden
U.S. Animal Agriculture Policy: Problems and Solutions, Steven Mischel
Competitive Balance and Team Payroll: The Case of Major League Baseball, Tyler Veach
Submissions from 2009
Building a Business: Baker & Associates CPA, Heath Baker Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Effects of a Credit Crunch on Employment by Sector in the U.S.: How have Recessions Associated with Credit Crunches Differed from Other Recessions?, Michael Boevers
What Determines the Level of Funding for an Endangered Species?, Josh Mahoney
Does Race Affect the Salaries of NFL Players?, Joshua Patrick Mahoney Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Racial Salary Discrimination in the NBA: 2008-2009, Kyle Rehnstrom
Women's Labor Markets in Costa Rica, Kelsey Rinehart Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Economics of Golf: An Investigation of the Returns to Skill of PGA Tour Golfers, Kelsey L. Rinehart
The Validity of Karl Marx’s Theory of Historical Materialism, Kaleb Shimp
Submissions from 2008
Adam Smith and Consumerism's Role in Happiness: Modern Society Reexamined, Michael Busch Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Adam Smith and Consumerism’s Role in Happiness: Modern Society Re-examined, Michael Busch
What Role Should Subsidies Play for Microfinance Institutions, Emily Anne Cormaney Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Has Thailand Learned from the Asian Crisis of 1997?, Kuejai Jungjaturapit
Who Should Own the Air?: A Closer Look at Smoking Bans, Stacy McMullen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Is Wikipedia a Credible Source for Undergraduate Economics Students?, Sam Meier
