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Youngstown State University Department of Economics |
The Stocks Essay Contest |
Youngstown State University Department of Economics One University Plaza Youngstown, Ohio, 44555 USA |
2009 |
2010 |
Visiting address on campus: DeBartolo Hall, 3rd floor tel. (330) 941-3428 fax (330) 941-4815 |
This annual competition - now in its fifth year - provides all undergraduate students at YSU, regardless of major, an opportunity to explore any economic policy. It is an exercise in good writing and clear thinking, which are valuable assets to any college graduate. |
Rules: Write an essay on any current economic topic relevant to society. The essay should be about 2,000 words in length (three single-spaced pages; essays less than 1,600 and more than 2,400 words will not be judged) and have a clearly defined economic question which the author analyses from all sides, and then suggests a policy solution based on the arguments presented. |
Eligibility: Any undergraduate student at YSU. Since economic issues are not restricted to any particular major, we strongly encourage participation of students from all academic fields. |
1st place: Kevin Hulick (Economics and Political Science) "The Perils of Law School - Rising Costs and Bleak Prospects" 2nd place: Barbara Neiswanger (Human Resources Management) "Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Extraction - Policy Analysis" 3rd place: Lucas Benson (Economics) "The Leasing of the Ohio Turnpike" Finalists: Lindsay Allison (Pre-Business Mngt) Jeff Bruno (Political Science) Yusen Chen (Accounting) Stephen Horvath (Economics) Emma Kovacs (Integr. Language Arts) Cory Okular (Economics and Pol. Sci.) Albert Rainey (Accounting) |
1st place: Amanda Foster "The correlation between home sale prices and distance from the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: an analysis of current and suggested policies" 2nd place: Michael Gans "The economic impact of plastic waste reduction policy: reducing oceanic and landfill waste accumulation" 3rd place: Kevin Hulick "State budget deficits: a growing concern in our federalist structure" Finalists: Nicole Barnett Sepideh Khavari Jordan Moy Anthony Pallante Erin Sturrus Jonathan Zetts Andrew Zunic |
Prizes: Ten finalists will be invited to the Economics Department's year-end dinner gala on Tuesday, April 30, where the winners are announced. This year's prizes are: 1st Place: $250 2nd Place: $150 3rd Place: $100 Plus selected gift cards. |
To download the 2013 Stocks Essay Contest Poster, click here |
Need a current topic or an article? Check out The New York Times, online at www.nytimes.com. Free paper copies also available every weekday on the main floor of DeBartolo Hall, compliments of CLASS. |
Searching fo economics statistics? Check out Resources for Economists. Click here. |
Thinking about majoring or minoring in economics? A great idea! For more information, click here. |
Tips on how to write a good essay: Read the article "10 Ways to Develop Expository Writing Skills With The New York Times." |
2011 |
1st place: Sepideh Khavari (Mathematics/Economics) "The economic impact of nuclear plant disasters and accidents: from the Oak Ridge reservation to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant" 2nd place: Cory Okular (Economics/Political science) "There goes the neighborhood: the Youngstown 2010 plan and recovery" 3rd place: Barbara Neiswanger (Human Resources Mngt) "The socioeconomic impact of force reduction and military installation closure" Finalists: Chelsea Baker (Business Admin.) Corinne Bocci (Spanish Education) Todd Finn (Business Economics) Kevin Hulick (Economics / Pol. Sci.) Russ Lopez (Business Mngt) John Shelby (Secondary education) Mary Wheeler (Accounting) |
1st place: Jeff Layton "The free market solution" 2nd place: Daniel DeMaiolo "An economic analysis on the effects of outsourcing revisited" 3rd place: Nicole Barnett "Wal-mart: effects on urban areas" Finalists: Katie Engle Erin Griehs Shawn Mulhall Andrew B. Smith Jonathan Zetts |
2012 |
PREVIOUS YEARS' WINNERS |
UPDATE: The Semifinal results are in! This was another banner year for the Stocks Essay Contest, also once again benefiting from the help of the CLASS and The New York Times in College Program. We received eighty essays covering a multitude of economic topics important to society. The contest jury spent the last three days going over the essays. After a careful consideration, twelve finalists have been chosen. The choice was not easy, and, in many ways, cases the difference between making and not making the final were razor-thin. This year's finalists are: *Chelsea Baker* (Business Economics) "Could the Benefits Possibly Outweigh the Costs? Analysis of the Benefits of Granting Illegal Immigrants Amnesty Versus the Cost" *Lucas Benson* (Economics) "Charter School: A Drill of Comparative Data" *Corinne Bocci* (Business Economics & Spanish) "Spanish Labor Market Conditions and Unemployment" *Samuel Cervone* (Business Economics) "Collapsing Auto Industry or Collapsing Government Policy?" *William Cochran* (Economics & Anthropology) "Regulating Care: The Effect of Regulation and Market Structure on Nursing Home Care Quality" *William Cochran* (Economics & Anthropology) "The Effects of Health Care Staffing Requirements on Labor Market Outcomes" *Brian Darcy* (Applied Mathematics) "Tax Rates and Revenue: Optimizing the Tax Revenue Collected by the Government" *Robert Grahovac* (Management) "School Vouchers" *Vincent Lucente* (Physical Science) "How Important is Federal Funding to Progress in Stem Cell Research" *Michael Mistovich* (Political Science) "The Current Education Dilemma" *Jordan Pennel *(Political Science) "Market Failures: Mahoning River Pollution" *Heather Tsai* (Management) "Capital Punishment: A Suffering Society" The top three winners of the contest will be revealed in the Economics Department end of the academic year dinner gala in the President's Suites of the Kilcawley Center on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m. All finalists are invited as guests of the department to this event. On behalf of the Stocks Essay Committee and the YSU Economics Department, we would like to thank you for your participation in this year's contest, and encourage you to keep up your good work in writing and the study of issues important to society. One way to further improve your skills is to stay current with economics. Many of our classes have a specific writing component and all of them deal with a critical analysis of issues affecting our everyday lives. If you have any questions about what economics has to offer, please contact any of our faculty members or go to our website at http://web.ysu.edu/class/economics. Sincerely, The Stocks Essay Committee (Dr. Tomi Ovaska, Ms. Sarah Jenyk, Dr. Yaqin Wang) |