economics happenings - elon university / home · several winter term business and culture ......

Economics Happenings Economics Happenings ELON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF

ECONOMICS NEWSLETTER

SPECIAL POINTS SPECIAL POINTS

OF INTERESTOF INTEREST

Economics

Conference

2

2015 Graduates/

Senior Spotlight

3

Student Awards 4

Senior Theses 5

Honors Inductions 6

Alumni News 6

Faculty Research 7

Econ Alumni

Network

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Closing 12

Professor Platania Named New Department Chair

Jen Platania, associate professor of economics, earned

a Ph.D. in Economics from Florida State University in

2001. She began teaching at Elon University in 2002.

She is the advisor to the Economics Club and has led

several Winter Term business and culture courses to

New Zealand, Turkey and Greece. Notably, she re-

ceived the Martha and Spencer Love School of Busi-

ness Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008

and Elon's Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year

award in 2015.

Stephen DeLoach, professor of economics in

Elon's Martha and Spencer Love School of

Business, suggests that the international ef-

forts to reduce poverty helped ignite what he

calls the "microfinance revolution."

DeLoach examined his research April 7 in his

2015 Distinguished Scholar Lecture, titled,

"Saving Billions: The Impact of Microfinance

on World Poverty." The lecture is given annu-

ally by the recipient of the university's Distin-

guished Scholar Award, which recognizes a

faculty member whose research has earned

peer commendation and respect, and who has

made significant contributions to his or her

field of study.

Professor DeLoach presents Distinguished Scholar

Lecture

Check out this year’s

IPE:

http://org.elon.edu/ipe/

Check out our

webpage!

http://www.elon.edu/

economics

http://www.elon.edu/economics FALL 2015 THE ELON DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

INSIDE THIS INSIDE THIS

ISSUEISSUE

Congratulations to Professor Platania for being named the Chair of the Department of

Economics!

Economics Conference

2

FALL 2015 EECONOMICSCONOMICS HHAPPENINGSAPPENINGS

ELON UNIVERSITY

Several economic students presented their thesis research at the Eastern Economic Association’s

annual conference in New York at the end of February.

The conference included 13 undergraduate research

sessions sponsored by the journal Issues in Political Econo-

my (IPE). Seventy-two students from 28 colleges and

universities throughout the country participated in the

two days of sessions. Students came from institutions

including American University, Davidson College, Fur-

man, Gettysburg College, George mason University,

Ithaca College, St. Lawrence University, The College of

New Jersey, Texas A&M University and the College of

Wooster.

There were eight papers presented by Elon students:

Annie Barker, “Gender Discrimination Effects on Women's Career Choices” (mentor: Tonmoy

Islam)

Caroline Crew, “Does Tourism Alleviate Poverty? Evidence from UNESCO World Heritage

Sites” (mentor: Steve Bednar)

Jordan Grover, “Losing the Free Trade Monopoly: Mexico and the end of the MFA” (mentor: Ste-

ve DeLoach)

Jen Smith, “Married to the job: allocation of time and household production for fully employed

couples” (mentor: Steve DeLoach)

Kate Smith-Lin, “The Impact of Formal Banking Institutions on Indonesian Households’ Saving

Behavior” (mentor: Steve DeLoach)

Garret I. Mann, “Shaking Things Up: The Marginal Effects of Football Schemes after a Change at

the Top” (mentor: Tonmoy Islam)

Matt Trogdon, “Investigating Impact of Verbal Motivation and Pay Cuts on Worker Perfor-

mance” (mentor: Mark Kurt)

Katherine Welch, “From Cronkite to Williams: The Effect of TV News Coverage on the Num-

ber of Students Graduating with STEM Majors” (mentor: Steve DeLoach)

Issues in Political Economy is the leading undergraduate research journal in economics and is co-edited in

its entirety by undergraduates at Elon University and the University of Mary Washington. Elon has co-

edited the journal since 1998. The IPE is indexed in Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in

Economics & Finance. Steve DeLoach, professor of economics, serves as the journal's faculty advisor.

2015 Economics Graduates

Senior Spotlight

Caroline “Callie” Crew is an economics major and Honors Fellow. Under the mentorship of As-

sistant Professor Steven Bednar, Crew created an econometric model using yearly panel data

from the China Health and Nutrition Survey to capture the effects of nine World Heritage Sites

in nine surveyed provinces. She looked specifically at changes from 1991 through 2006. Her re-

search question was straightforward: “Have my actions as a tourist affected people on my

travels?”

In addition to her research, the Honors Fellow has

been active at Elon University with the Phi Psi Cli

yearbook and the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. She

hopes to work as a financial analyst for an energy

company following graduation and wants be a part

of organization that works toward finding environ-

mentally friendly solutions to future energy needs.

Caroline Crew is working as a Resorts Front Desk Agent in Aspen, Colo.

Maria Restuccio is completing 1 year of Service Fellow-ship.

Matthew Baum is working as a consultant in a Business Adviser Program for Ernst & Young in Charlotte, N.C.

Jordan Grover is working as a Sustainable Development Program Associate with Global Brigades in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Katherine Larson is working as a marketing analyst with Red Ventures in Charlotte, N.C.

Alexandra Worsham is attending UNCG to obtain an MBA.

Stefano de la Feld is working as a support consultant at Prometheus Group in Raleigh, N.C.

Marquessa Smith-Lin is working with Boston Private Financial Holdings.

Daniel Spiller is working for Trailblazer Studios over the

summer and then pursuing jobs in the entertainment

industry.

Katherine Welch is attending Boston University Law

School.

Kyle Groves is working as a Consultant at FactSet

Research Systems.

Cole Voynick joined Vanguard as a Client Relationship

Specialist in Charlotte, N.C.

Jennifer Smith has joined Glaxo Smith Kline as a part of

the Future Leaders Program for Sales and Marketing in

Kansas City, Mo.

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ELON UNIVERSITY

Student Awards

Four economics majors were presented with awards during the Love School of Business annual awards

program on April 18, 2015. This year’s awards and recipients included:

John Kappas Economics AwardJohn Kappas Economics Award

Jennifer Annette Smith

This award goes to the senior economics major who best demonstrates enthusiasm for economics, potential for

leadership, and classroom excellence. It is named in honor of the late John Kappas, a 1985 Elon graduate.

Student Achievement in Economics AwardStudent Achievement in Economics Award

Marquessa Kate Smith-Lin

This award is given to a senior economics major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her courses as

well as promise for future achievement.

The David O. Bowden Economics ScholarshipThe David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship

Stephanie Tizik

Established by David Bowden ’70, the David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship is awarded to a rising senior major-

ing in economics who has been active in the department and demonstrated potential for future success. At Elon, Mr.

Bowden was a double major in business administration and economics. He went on to earn his J.D. from the Uni-

versity of Miami.

The Department of Economics Endowed ScholarshipThe Department of Economics Endowed Scholarship

David Wallach

This scholarship was established in 2005 by members of the Department of Economics for an economics major with

a record of academic excellence within the major who exhibits a commitment to social responsibility.

The department extends its congratulations to this year’s LSB award recipients!

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DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

Thirty-three seniors majoring in economics or international economics successfully presented undergraduate

research theses to faculty members in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business’ Department of Eco-

nomics.

The senior thesis is the culmination of the economics major and serves as the students’ required comprehen-

sive evaluation in the major field of study. For this research project, economics majors work individually with a

professor to build on work done in previous courses, culminating in a work of presentation quality.

The completed work is presented before the Department of Economics, as well as in public forums such as

Elon’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum and the Eastern Economic Association’s annual conference.

Senior Economics and International

Economics majors successfully present theses

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ELON UNIVERSITY

The Elon University 2013 College Fed Challenge

Team, pictured right with coaches Strohush and

Platania

Alumni Updates Alumni Updates Greg (Halstead) Halzen works as a teaching mentor at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College.

Danny Standford is working on his MA degree at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Brett Greene just completed his MBA from UNC Kenan Flagler and works for Highwoods Properties in Raleigh,

NC.

Jackson Fambrough created PASR, a college basketball recruiting program, which is featured on KenProm.org .

Mike Barg is currently working on his Master’s degree at the University of Michigan.

Brian Leardon is the East Coast Rep for MOD Pizza, based in Seattle.

Zach Gillis is still working with ENY, but recently transferred to Los Angeles, CA.

Matt Baum is working for BAP consultants.

Megan Green is working on her Master's degree in Environmental Management at Duke University.

Thirty-two students were inducted into Elon’s

Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE) economics

honorary society on April 14th during the Spring

Economics Banquet.

The Elon ODE chapter is hosted by the Department

of Economics in the Martha and Spencer Love School

of Business. The chapter is advised by Katy Rouse,

assistant professor of economics. Requirements for

ODE include successful completion of 16 hours of

economics courses with a minimum GPA of 3.25.

Congratulations to this year’s inductees:

Whitney Ballbach, Anne Barker, Alexzandra Battaglia, Sydney Bear, Ameya Benegal,

Robert Britt, Edward Cooley, John Cove, Kenneth Crew, Sarah Dent, William DiIanni,

Erin Donahue, Melany Kisara, Bryan Kozin, Katherine Larson, Justin Morin, Chel-

sea Nelson, Kristina Parrett, Jeremy Revelise, Ashley Roth, Rebecca Sansale, Christina

Schnorf, Justin Schweitzer, Edward Threlfall, Andrew Van Hoof, David Wallach, Barry

Whelan and Meghan Windle.

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ODE Inductions

James L. Barbour

Barbour, J.L. (2013). "Pigou, Arthur C." in An Encyclopedia of Keynesian Economics, 2e, Thomas Cate, ed, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, pp. 542-545. Steve Bednar

Bednar, S. & Gicheva, D. (2013, October). Tax Benefits for Graduate Education: Incentives for Whom? Economics of Education Review, 36, 181-197.

Bednar, S., & Gicheva, D. (2014, May). Are Female Supervisors More Female-Friendly? American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 104, (5), 370-75.

Bednar, S. (2015, April). Minority Candidates and Political Violence. Presented at the Midwest Political Science As-sociation.

Bednar, S. (2014, November). Cognitive Ability and Voting: How Salt Influenced Elections in the 20th Century. Presented at the Southern Economics Association. Also presented at the American Political Science Association in August 2013.

Bednar, S., Adhvaryu, A., Molina, T., Nguyen, Q., & Nyshadham, A. (2014, May). Salt Iodization and the Enfranchise-ment of the American Worker. Presented at the Society of Labor Economists.

Bednar, S. (2013, August 31). Are Smarter Voters More Liberal? Evidence from Salt Iodization in the United States. Presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meetings, Chicago, IL.

Bednar, S. (2013, August 31) 'When it Rains it Pours': How Salt Altered the Political Landscape in the 20th Century. Pre-sented at American Political Science Association Annual Meetings, Chicago, IL, August 2013

Jayoti (Tina) Das

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015). Nation Branding and Reputation: The Role of Press Freedom, Global Journal of Mar-keting Management and Research, 5, (1), 1-12.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015). Innovation and the Role of Corruption and Diversity: A Cross-Country Study. Inter-national Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 15, (1), 51-72.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). International Property Rights: The Role of Diversity. The Journal of Developing Areas.

Das, J., DiRienzo, C., Lanier, D., & Rich, C. (in press). Anti-Human Trafficking Policies and Freedom of the Press: A Cross-Country Study. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 2, (6), 1-10.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015, February). Conflict and the Freedom of the Press. Journal of Economic and Social Stud-ies, 4, (1), 87-109.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). Diversity and the Economy: A Cross-Country, Comprehensive Study. Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2013, February). Spatial decay of corruption in Africa and the Middle East. Economic Papers, 31, (4), 508-514.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). Tourism Competitiveness and Corruption: A Cross-Country Analysis. In Com-petitiveness and Tourism. Editors: Geoffrey I. Crouch and J.R. Brent Ritchie.

Faculty Research 2013-2015

ELON UNIVERSITY 7

FALL 2015 ECONOMICS HAPPENINGS

Stephen B. DeLoach

DeLoach, S., Kurt, M. & Olitsky, N. (2015) Business-focused short-term study abroad experiences: Do they work?

Journal of Teaching in International Business, 26, (1), 1-27. DeLoach, S., Franz, S., & Platania, J. (2015). Reconsidering the tradeoff between work and study time. Applied Eco-nomic Letters, 21, (5), 340–343.

DeLoach, S. & Platania, J. (2013, May). The Macroeconomic Consequences of Financing Health Insurance. Interna-tional Advances in Economic Research, 19(2), 107-29.

DeLoach, S., Perry-Sizemore, E., & Borg, M. (2012, Spring). Creating Quality Undergraduate Research Programs in Economics: How, when, where (and why). The American Economist, 57, (1).

DeLoach, S. & Kurt, M. (2013, January 4-6). Discouraging workers: Estimating Impacts of Macroeconomic Shocks on Search Intensity of Unemployed. Presented at the Allied Social Science Association (ODE), San Diego, CA.

DeLoach, S. (2013, May 29-31). Undergraduate Research: Outlets for Dissemination. Panel Discussion at the National Conference on Teaching Economics, Chicago, IL.

Cassandra Dirienzo

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015). Nation Branding and Reputation: The Role of Press Freedom, Global Journal of Mar-keting Management and Research, 5, (1), 1-12.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015). Innovation and the Role of Corruption and Diversity: A Cross-Country Study. Inter-national Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 15, (1), 51-72.

DiRienzo, C. & Redington, D. (in press). Political Management and Corruption in Developing Nations. Global Journal of Business Research.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). International Property Rights: The Role of Diversity. The Journal of Developing Are-as.

DiRienzo, C., & Lilly, G. (2015). Online Versus Face-to-face: Does Delivery Method Matter for Undergraduate Business School Learning? Business Education & Accreditation, 6, (1), 1-11.

Das, J., DiRienzo, C., Lanier, D., & Rich, C. (in press). Anti-Human Trafficking Policies and Freedom of the Press: A Cross-Country Study. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 2, (6), 1-10.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2015, February). Conflict and the Freedom of the Press. Journal of Economic and Social Stud-ies, 4, (1), 87-109.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). Diversity and the Economy: A Cross-Country, Comprehensive Study. Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2013, February). Spatial decay of corruption in Africa and the Middle East. Economic Papers, 31, (4), 508-514.

DiRienzo, C. & Leupold, C. (2013, July 7-10). Infusing Leadership Insight and Development into Business Econom-ics. Presented at the 2013 Association of Leadership Educators Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (in press). Tourism Competitiveness and Corruption: A Cross-Country Analysis. In Com-petitiveness and Tourism. Editors: Geoffrey I. Crouch and J.R. Brent Ritchie.


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Andrew N. Greenland

Greenland, A. (2014, June). The Good News About Disappearing Jobs: U.S. High School Dropout Rates and Import Exposure. Presented at the Midwest Economic Theory and Trade Conference. Also presented at the Society of Labor Econo-mists Annual Conference in May 2014.

Tonmoy Islam

Islam, T. (in press). Estimating the Elasticity of Growth in the US Using the Generalized Means of Income. Social Indicators Research.

Islam, T., Minier, J., & Ziliak, J. (2015, January). On Persistent Poverty in a Rich Country. Southern Economic Journal, 81, (3), 653-678.

Mark Kurt Gupta, N., Kurt, M., & White, R. (2015). The Buffett Critique: Volatility and Long-dated Options. Journal of Economics and Finance.

DeLoach, S., Kurt, M. & Olitsky, N. (2015) Business-focused short-term study abroad experiences: Do they work? Journal of Teaching in International Business, 26, (1), 1-27.

Kurt, M. (2014, March). On the Job Search and the Business Cycle. Presented at the Eastern Economic Association Annual Meetings, Boston, MA.

Kurt, M. & Lilly, G. (2014, November). Polarizing Economics: Exploring the Effects of Increasing Inequality on Politics. Presented at the15th Annual Department of Accounting Continuing Professional Education Seminar, Elon, NC.

Kurt, M., Olitsky, N. & Geis, Paul. (2013). Assessing Global Awareness over Short-Term Study Abroad Sequence: A Factor Analysis. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad., 22.

DeLoach, S. & Kurt, M. (2013, July). Discouraging Workers: Estimating the Impact of Macroeconomic Shocks on Search Intensity of the Unemployed. Journal of Labor Research, DOI 10.1007/s12122-013-9166-0

Engelhardt, B., Kurt, M., and Polgreen, (2013). Sexually Transmitted Infections with Semi-Anonymous Matching. Health Economics, 22:11, 1295-1317.

DeLoach, S. & Kurt, M. (2013, January 4-6). Discouraging workers: Estimating Impacts of Macroeconomic Shocks on Search Intensity of Unemployed. Presented at the Allied Social Science Association (ODE), San Diego, CA.

Gregory Lilly

DiRienzo, C., & Lilly, G. (2015). Online Versus Face-to-face: Does Delivery Method Matter for Undergraduate Busi-ness School Learning? Business Education & Accreditation, 6, (1), 1-11.

Lilly, G. & Allen, S. (2014, April 5). American College Major Choices: Surprising Persistence. Presented at the 77th Interna-tional Atlantic Economic Society Conference, Madrid, Spain.

Lilly, G., Platania, J. & Rouse, K. (2013, November). The Disappearing Middle Class: Urban Legend or Truth? Presented at the 15th Annual Elon Continuing Professional Education Seminar, Elon, NC.

Kurt, M. & Lilly, G. (2014, November). Polarizing Economics: Exploring the Effects of Increasing Inequality on Politics. Pre-sented at the15th Annual Department of Accounting Continuing Professional Education Seminar, Elon, NC.


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ELON UNIVERSITY

Lilly (Cont.)

Kurt, M. (March 2013). A Survey Paper: Topics in Economic Growth and Development. Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics, Online Module on Undergraduate Research in Economics. http://serc.carleton.edu/econ/studentresearch/econexamples.html

Jennifer Platania

DeLoach, S., Franz, S., & Platania, J. (2015). Reconsidering the tradeoff between work and study time. Applied Eco-nomic Letters, 21, (5), 340–343.

Lilly, G., Platania, J. & Rouse, K. (2013, November). The Disappearing Middle Class: Urban Legend or Truth? Presented at the 15th Annual Elon Continuing Professional Education Seminar, Elon, NC.

DeLoach, S. & Platania, J. (2013, May). The Macroeconomic Consequences of Financing Health Insurance. Internation-al Advances in Economic Research, 19 (2), 107-29.

Douglas R. Redington

DiRienzo, C. & Redington, D. (2014). Political Management and Corruption in Developing Nations. Global Journal of Business Research, 8, (2), 1-11.

Katy E. Rouse

McMullen, S., Rouse, K. and Haan, J. (2015). The Distributional Effects of the Multi-Track Year-Round Calendar: A Quantile Regression Approach. Applied Economics Letters, 22, (15), 1188-1192.

Lilly, G., Platania, J. & Rouse, K. (2013, November). The Disappearing Middle Class: Urban Legend or Truth? Pre-sented at the 15th Annual Elon Continuing Professional Education Seminar, Elon, NC.

Rouse, K. (2013). Year-round schedule won’t magically fix summer learning loss. The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 15, p. F13.

Rouse, K.E., Graves, J. and McMullen, S. (in press). Year Round Schooling as Cost Savings Reform: Not just a matter of time. Education Finance and Policy.

Rouse, K.E. & Depro, B. (2013, April 26). Year-Round Education and Residential Property Values. Presented at the Department of Economics, Oklahoma University.

Vitaliy Strohush

Strohush, V., & Wanner, J. (2015) College Degree for Everyone? International Advances in Economic Research, 21 (3), 261-273

Strohush, V. (2016, forthcoming) Federal Reserve System and Monetary Policy. Chapter in Rycroft, Robert (eds.).

The American Middle Class: An Economic Encyclopedia of Progress and Poverty. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC -CLIO/ Greenwood.

Strohush, V., Gupta, N., & White, R. (2014, October 12-15). Investor reaction to simultaneous news releases: Un-employment vs. Earnings. Presented at the 78th International Atlantic Economic Conference, Savannah, GA.

Fedaseyeu, V. & Strohush, V. (2014, June 19-22). A Theory of Student Overborrowing. Presented at the 2014 North American Summer Meeting of the Econometric Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.


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http://serc.carleton.edu/econ/studentresearch/econexamples.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/econ/studentresearch/econexamples.html

Hello, Econ Alumni!

Do you remember your senior thesis and the ting of uncertainty over how you were going to

come up with an idea for it, much less complete it? Or what you were going to do after you

complete the thesis and walked across the stage at graduation?

We believe that we can create more support for our students and we are hoping you can be a

part of it. Over the next year, we will be developing the Elon Economics Network. The goal is

two-fold.

First, it connects alumni with rising seniors to provide a bit of guidance regarding your process of

discovery through the senior thesis. Second, share your experiences about where the economics

degree has taken you, provide advice or simply listen.

As you know the Economics degree is a highly versatile degree, which takes

our alumni down many varied and unique paths. Hearing about your path can be helpful and

inspire confidence.

You have a powerful voice and we hope you are willing to be involved in

creating stronger connections with each other.

Elon Economics Network Elon Economics Network

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ELON UNIVERSITY

Contact :

Mark Kurt

[email protected]

(336) 278-5915

mailto:[email protected]

Hello Elon Econ Alumni!

As new chair of the Economics Department I wanted to take a minute

to personally say “Hi” and keep you updated on the latest and greatest

from the world of Econ @ Elon! I took over the role of department

chair in August 2015 as Jim Barbour is getting ready for his retirement

in May 2016 – congrats Dr. Barbour! What an exciting time to be chair

of this great department too – in the works are plans for a new ap-

plied major in Economic Consulting and we are hiring a new faculty

member this spring who will join us in August 2016. Some things nev-

er change though – the Econ room is still a second home to all of our

dedicated students (who misses the Econ room?!!), and we still lead-

ing the way when it comes to undergraduate research (who misses

working on their thesis??!). But even though we continue to move

forward, we LOVE to see our alumni come back to visit, so if you ever

have plans to be in the area please come by – lunch is on me! And if

you can’t make it down to NC, drop us a quick email and let us know

how you are doing – we’d love to hear from you!!

To stay current on the Economics department, visit

www.elon.edu/economics throughout the year.

Jennifer Platania

Associate Professor of Economics

2075 Campus Box

Elon, NC 27244

Phone: 336 278-5938

Fax: (336) 278-5952

E-mail: [email protected]

Note from the Chair Note from the Chair

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economics happenings - elon university / home · several winter term business and culture ......

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