This page has information about the research projects I have completed while attending Union College. If you would like to read the entirety of any of these works, please fill out the contact form under the Contact page and include the name(s) of the work you’d like to read.
Economics
The Effect of Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries on Local Opioid Mortality
- Difference-in-Difference specification using county and year fixed effects.
- County-based study in Colorado using distance to major roadways and border as instrumental variables.
- Data from CDC MCOD files, US Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and more.
- Found that the one additional recreational marijuana dispensary is associated with a -0.646 unit decrease in overdose fatalities.
The Effect of Pell Grants on Postgraduate Outcomes
- Regression discontinuity design.
- Used the confidential Baccalaureate and Beyond dataset from the Department of Education.
- Found that higher Pell awards did not increase postgraduate indicators of success, such as employment, graduate school attendance, or earnings.
- Note: The confidential nature of the data disallows me from sharing the full text of this project.
The Effects of Three-Strike Laws on Recidivism and Parole Violations
- Co-authored work with a fellow student at Union College.
- Used data from the FBI UCR database.
- Linear probability model.
- Found that individuals in three-strike law states were more likely to recidivate or violate parole.
State Takeovers of Schools in Massachusetts: A Case Study Approach
- A qualitative study examining the outcomes of school districts under state receivership.
- Found that receivership has varying effects across district types, with local support being an important factor.
History
Senior Thesis: Apocalypse Across Contexts: How Societies React to Sudden, Unwanted, and Comprehensive Change
- Researched the history of apocalyptic thought across time, location, and culture, culminating in an 83-page research paper. Utilized primary source material and integrated secondary source material to examine this fascinating transhistorical concept.
- Passed thesis defense with distinction, the highest possible honor.
The Formation of Customary Law in Colonial West Africa
- Gleaned data from colonial civil court records to examine how individuals engaged with imposed colonial legal structures.
- Found that early cases centered on property disputes, with later cases taking on an increasing proportion of civil issues.
Courtship, Contact, and Marital Relationships with the Devil
- Modeled the witch-to-devil relationship as imagined by the Scottish public, collected from witch trial court proceedings.
- Found that male and female witches had essentially the same relationship with the devil, with males undergoing symbolic consummation and females undergoing literal consummation.