As progress toward earning their degree, all Princeton juniors in the Economics Department complete a Junior Paper (JP) that helps hone their research skills in advance of beginning their Senior Thesis project. As one of the first major independent research projects students undertake, the paper is guided through regular meetings with the student’s Junior Independent Work (JIW) group and their faculty advisor.

On September 21, 2020, faculty affiliated with the Griswold Center for Economic Policy Studies selected five students to present their excellent Junior Papers at the 2020 Griswold Center Junior Independent Work Research Forum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEG_PEwEH9w

“One purpose of this event is to highlight outstanding policy-related papers,” said Griswold Center Co-Director Ilyana Kuziemko at the start of the forum. She also noted that rising juniors just beginning their JIW work might find inspiration in these papers, in terms of potential topics or avenues of research to explore.

After presenting their papers, students answered questions about their research process and how they overcame roadblocks. For even more advice, rising juniors should check out this Q&A on how to write a first-rate Junior Paper.

This year’s student presenters included:

Jack Aiello, ‘21

Adviser: Iqbal Zaid
Paper Title: Understanding the IMF’s Impact on Income Inequality: Institutional Change or Business as Usual?

Sara Hailu, ‘21
Adviser: Leah Boustan
Paper Title: The Effect of County Veterans Service Offices on County Veterans Affairs Expenditures

Arthur Markley, ‘21

Adviser: Ernest Liu
Paper Title: The Effect of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 on Credit Card Delinquency Rates

Iago Robertson-Lavalle, ‘21

Adviser: Leah Boustan
Paper Title: Slum Dwellings and the Minimum Wage: An Analysis Using Evidence from Brazil

Devin Sun, ‘21
Adviser: Adrien Matray
Paper Title: The Effect of Uber’s Entrance on Wages for Low-Skilled Occupations across the U.S.