Academics

Economics Honors Program

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• Honors Program

  Students interested in pursuing honors in Economics should discuss their plans with a member of the Economics department by the end of their junior year. Professor Chad Sparber is the Honors Coordinator for 2011-2012. Eligible students take ECON 489 and 490 during their senior year. Upon completion of ECON 490, the student earns one course credit for the entire year. In addition to taking ECON 489 and 490, students work under the supervision of an Economics faculty member. Students who receive Honors or High Honors in Economics are considered for several departmental awards allocated to graduating seniors.

• Catalog Description of ECON 489, 490 Honors Seminar

  This course is designed for senior majors who are eligible for departmental honors (or high honors). Each seminar member plans and writes an honors thesis under the general guidance and supervision of a faculty member. Seminar members present their work to the group and act as discussants of each other’s work. Enrollment in both terms is necessary for course credit. ECON 489 is offered for no course credit and no grade in the fall. ECON 490 is offered for one course credit in the spring, with ECON 489 as a prerequisite. This course is taken under the satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading option. 

• Honors and High Honors in Economics

  To be invited to participate in the honors program, students need a minimum 3.33 GPA in the three core courses: ECON 251, 252, and 375. To qualify for departmental honors, a student must enroll in the year-long honors seminar (ECON 489 and 490) in which each student writes an honors thesis. Students also present their projects to the seminar and act as discussants of other projects. Certification of honors and high honors will be based mainly on the quality of the honors paper. In addition, honors candidates must have, at graduation, a B+ average (A– for high honors) in the nine economics courses taken for major credit, and must receive a satisfactory grade in ECON 490. 

• Honors and High Honors in Mathematical Economics

  Since the major also includes the requirements for an economics program, special rules apply for honors. A mathematical economics major has two mutually exclusive options: (1) qualifying for honors or high honors in economics by satisfying the honors criteria for the economics major, or (2) qualifying for these honors in mathematical economics by satisfying the same criteria except that the departmental GPA is calculated for all 13 of the required courses. Under the first option the student will receive the honors certification in economics as a mathematical economics major. 

• Recent Honors Papers

  2011:

  • Jane Adams, "How low income families use their tax refund." Advisor: Nicole Simpson.
  • Justin Kyhos, "Analysis of the effects of financial incentives on physicianproductivity and Medicare participation." Advisor: Jyoti Khanna.
  • Hieu Lu, "The relationship between employee attitudes and organizational performance: Evidence from cooperative retail stores." Advisor: Takao Kato.
  • Eric Rogers, "An examination of state-specific Earned Income Tax Credits and their effect on the locational decisions of immigrants within the United States." Advisor: Chad Sparber.
  • Rashesh Shrestha, "Understanding pricing behavior of multiproduct retailer: Evidence from Dominick's data." Advisor: Takao Kato.
  • Hiep Tran, "Financialization and its impact on investment." Advisor: Tom Michl.

  2010:

  • Samantha Belkin,"Cohabitation and the EITC." 2010. Advisor: Nicole Simpson.
  • Ben Berstein, "The Effects of NCLB on High-Achieving Students: A Cross-State Analysis." 2010. Advisor: Chad Sparber.
  • Mike LoFaso, "Measuring the Persistence of Output Shocks: A Study of Output Behavior using ARMA and Monte Carlo Methods." 2010. Advisors: Tom Michl and Jyoti Khanna.
    
  • Kevin Sweeney, "Academy Award Signaling and Gender Bias in Hollywood." 2010. Advisor: Takao Kato. 
  • Roumiana Zlateva, "The Gender Wage Gap: Taking Into Consideration Occupational Characteristics and Gender Segregation." 2010. Advisors: Bob Turner and Jyoti Khanna.
    

• Recent Student Awards

  • Chi-Ming Hou Award for Excellence in International Economics- Established by past and present department members in honor of the late Chi-Ming Hou, who was a member of the Colgate economics department from 1956-1991, for outstanding achievement in international economics.
    • Hieu Luu, 2011
    • Michael LoFaso, 2010

  • Marshall-Keynes Award for Excellence in Economics- Awarded by the department to the senior with the strongest, sustained performance in analytical economics and on the basis of the comprehensive exam.
    • Rashesh Shrestha, 2011
    • Roumiana Zlateva, 2010
  • J. Melbourne Shortliffe Award -Established in honor of the late J. Melbourne Shortliffe, chair of the economics department emeritus, and awarded to outstanding graduating seniors who have concentrated in economics
    • Erik Rogers, 2011
    • Benjamin Bernstein, 2010