During The Econ Games collegiate competition, students analyzed data provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and created economic policy recommendations.
Ten Elon students evaluated the impact of the coronavirus on segments of the U.S economy for the 2021 Econ Games, a competition hosted by the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University.
More than 250 students participated virtually, representing 18 universities from North America and the United Kingdom.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland served as the data collaborator, providing a dataset for analysis and judging the final presentations, which included teamsโ recommendations for economic policy.
Three teams from Elon participated:
- Sarah Katherine Loos โ21, Sarah Mirrow โ24, Morgan Rafferty โ21, Andrea Sheetz โ22
- Christopher Boyette โ23, Jovani Mendez-Sandoval โ22, Corbin Skaff โ23
- Petra Castedo โ21, Kevin Murphy โ22, Peyton Pesavento โ23
The presentation by Boyette, Mendez-Sandoval and Skaff was selected as Elonโs submission for judging.
โThe Econ Games of 2021 gave me a deep understanding of how the economy, small businesses and minority communities were affected by the pandemic,โ Mendez-Sandoval said. โThe Econ Games was an amazing opportunity to gain practical skills like cleaning data, running statistical analysis, and pitching our presentation to economists. I was fortunate to work with two committed members, where we suggested more assistance to small businesses and employees from poorer communities.โ
Assistant Professors of Economics Brandon Sheridan and Brooks Depro mentored the students.
โTeams worked collaboratively to both identify an issue using a rich dataset around consumer and business behavior during the pandemic and offer a policy recommendation to help improve the economy,โ Sheridan said. โAlthough it is called The ‘Econ’ Games, the skills learned are much more broadly applicable. We look forward to competing again next year!”