News

Below you'll find an archive of news items related to the Department of Economics at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Think. Plan. Do.

Meet accounting student Thea Winston from eastern Arkansas. After Winston graduates in May, she will attend Vanderbilt University to earn a master’s degree in accounting.

EPIC Spotlight: Natalie Counce

Whenever Natalie Counce sets her mind on something, she makes it happen.

EPIC Spotlight: Abby Davidson

Sometimes a new venture needs a jump start, especially in developing countries.

U of A Now Offering Economic Analytics Master’s Degree

Classes will begin in fall 2020 and applications are being accepted. To learn more or to apply, visit msecon.uark.edu.

State of Northwest Arkansas Region, Business Analysis Set for Nov. 5

Speakers include Greg Pogue of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas, and Walton economist Mervin Jebaraj. The luncheon event is hosted at the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors Event Center, 314 N. Goad Springs Road in Lowell.

Jebaraj Selected For Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Advisory Council

Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, is one of six new members appointed to the Community Development Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Quarterly Business Analysis Luncheon Set for May 16 in Fayetteville

Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Walton College, will present the regular Quarterly Business Analysis on Thursday, May 16.

EPIC Spotlight: Ahmad Shah Mobariz

It doesn’t happen often, but there are times when ignorance about something changes one’s life trajectory for the better.

EPIC Spotlight: Sherry Li

Sherry Li had one word to say when she first laid eyes on the Walton College’s Behavioral Business Research Lab: “Wow!”

EPIC Spotlight: Hyunseok Jung

Between the time Hyunseok Jung earned his economics degree and was employed by the South Korean government, he worked for 2½ years at a fire station.

Jebaraj to Serve on National Economics Board

Mervin Jebaraj has been elected to serve on the board for the Association for University Business and Economic Research

Thomas Roy McKinnon Leader. Teacher. Mentor. Friend.

Friends and colleagues share their thoughts about Thomas “Tom” Roy McKinnon, emeritus university professor of economics, who died August 10.

EPIC Spotlight: Jerra Nalley

Jerra Nalley loves Northwest Arkansas. From the funky, artistic community in Eureka Springs to the vibrant night life on Fayetteville’s Dickson Street, she wants the world to know all about it. It’s her living.

Economic Researchers Have Paper Accepted by Journal of Developmental Economics

Andrea Civelli, associate professor of economics at the Walton College; Andrew Horowitz, a Walton College economics professor, and Arilton Teixeira of the Fucape Business School in Brazil have had their paper “Foreign Aid and Growth: A Sp P-VAR Analysis Using Satellite Sub-National Data for Uganda” accepted for publication by the Journal of Development Economics.

Quarterly Business Analysis Luncheon Set for May 24 in Fayetteville

Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, will present the regular Quarterly Business Analysis on Thursday, May 24.

EPIC Spotlight: Jessica Loechler

Jessica Loechler wondered where the women were. That was the question she asked herself when her high school history class focused on the men who built America.

Gaduh Co-Authors Column on How Intergroup Contact Can Foster Nation-Building

Arya Gaduh, an assistant professor in the economics department at the Walton College, is the co-author of a column on how intergroup contact can foster nation-building.

Jebaraj Named Director of Center for Business and Economic Research

Mervin Jebaraj has been named director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas following a national search. His new role begins effective Jan. 1.

Brownback Publishes Classroom Grading Research in Economics of Education Review

Andy Brownback, an assistant professor in the Walton College Department of Economics, has had his paper “A Classroom Experiment on Effort Allocation Under Relative Grading” published in the February 2018 issue of Economics of Education Review.

Workers May ‘Choke’ Under Pressure of Non-Monetary Incentives

Competition for non-monetary awards can have adverse effects on performance and may cause employees to “choke” under pressure, according to a new study by a Walton College economist.

Kali Publishes Research on ‘The Burden of Glory’ in Journal of Economics & Management Strategy

Raja Kali, a professor in the Walton College Department of Economics and the Conoco Phillips Chair in International Economics and Business, has had his paper entitled “The Burden of Glory: Competing for Non-Monetary Incentives in Rank-Order Tournaments” accepted for publication in the Journal of Economics & Management Strategy.

Geng Publishes Regulation and Pricing Research in Journal of International Economics

Difei Geng, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the Walton College, has had his paper “International Effects of National Regulations: External Reference Pricing and Price Controls” accepted for publication in the Journal of International Economics.

Students Attend 2017 Enactus National Competition

Students from the U of A attended the 2017 Enactus National Competition in Kansas City to network, brainstorm project ideas and create partnerships with students from other colleges and universities.

Brownback Receives Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant for Consumer Research

Andrew P. Brownback, a Walton College assistant professor in economics, has won a $198,940 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a study on ways to encourage people to make healthy food choices while not giving up choice.

Yell Retires After 40 Years of Service

In the summer of 1976, Susan Imes Yell was a rising senior at Fayetteville High School. She also held a part time job at the School of Law. Little did she know that this would lead to a 40-year journey at the University of Arkansas.

Jebaraj Named Employee of the Second Quarter by Walton College

Mervin Jebaraj, assistant director in the Center for Business and Economic Research, has been named employee of the second quarter by the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

EPIC Spotlight: Difei Geng

Difei Geng doesn’t teach students. He shares with them. “By sharing, you don’t have to agree with me,” Geng says.

Farmer Study Accepted by International Review of Law and Economics

A study by Amy Farmer, a University Professor in the economics department at the Sam M. Walton College of Business and holder of the Margaret Gerig & R.S. Martin, Jr. Chair in Business, has been accepted for publication by International Review of Law and Economics.

Walton Hosts International Trade and Finance Research Workshop

The 5th Annual CIRANO-Sam M. Walton College of Business Workshop on Networks in Trade and Finance will take place in Willard J. Walker Hall at the University of Arkansas on September 30 and October 1.

Middlespeak: Building Bridges to Immigrant Integration

Nathanael Mickelson’s honors thesis isn’t interested in binaries: “The truth is always somewhere in the middle.” This history and business economics major is more attentive to the middle spaces, on understanding the historical and cultural reasons for the current migrant crisis.

State of NWA Region Report, Quarterly Business Analysis Set for Sept. 30

Speakers for the event include Mike Harvey, chief operating officer of the Northwest Arkansas Council, and University of Arkansas economist Kathy Deck, director of the university’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

EPIC Spotlight: Philip Meek

There are no gray areas in auditing. No subjectivity. What you see is what you get.

EPIC Spotlight: Addison Scott

She thought she had failed. This was something Addison Scott did not do.

EPIC Spotlight: Andrew Brownback

While in grade school, Andrew Brownback discovered he was proficient in math. He entered competitions, occasionally going home with an award.

Faculty: Best of the Best

Eight faculty members were recognized for their outstanding work by Walton College’s Business Awards and Elections Committee.

Kathy Deck Joins St. Louis Fed’s Real Estate Industry Council

Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, has been named to the Real Estate Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Experts Set to Discuss Economy at 22nd Business Forecast Luncheon

Regional, national and international experts will discuss the economic outlook for Arkansas, the nation and the world at the 22nd annual Business Forecast luncheon.

EPIC Spotlight: Tracy Liu

If research can positively impact society, then all of those hours toiling over data is well worth it, says Tracy Liu.

Kyya: Pure and Simple

Mmmmm. Chocolate. Rick Boosey, the president and founder of Kyya Chocolate, faced a full and engaged classroom when he spoke to students about entrepreneurship in ECON 3053 – Economics for Elementary Teachers – at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

State of Northwest Arkansas Region, Quarterly Business Analysis: Oct. 2

The Center for Business and Economic Research, in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council, will release the fifth annual State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report on Oct. 2.

News release announcing Cary Deck’s UAA apppointment

Here is the text of the news release from the University of Alaska Anchorage on Cary Deck’s year-long appointment as Rasmuson Chair of Economics.

Cold and Exciting Days Ahead

Warmth. That is the number one thing Cary Deck will soon miss. Specifically, he will miss the warmth of his colleagues and the research environment at the University of Arkansas more so than the temperature as he travels to Anchorage, Alaska.

EPIC Spotlight: Muhammad Rahman

As a college student in his native Bangladesh, Muhammad Rahman became fascinated with looking at the world through economics. He listened intently to his professor explain the rise of capitalism and socialism as well as Japan’s economic history.

EPIC Spotlight: Charles Britton

Charles Britton figures he has taught about 25,000 University of Arkansas students since arriving on campus in 1969.

Tyson CEO to Speak at Walton Commencement

Donnie Smith, president and chief executive officer of Tyson Foods Inc., is the 2015 commencement speaker for the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

2015-16 Walton Student Ambassadors Announced

Thirteen students have been named Walton College Student Ambassadors for 2015-16. Student ambassadors assist Walton’s Undergraduate Programs Office with recruitment efforts.

Quarterly Business Analysis luncheon set for May 8

Kathy Deck’s regular Quarterly Business Analysis luncheon will be Friday, May 8. Deck’s popular sessions feature business highlights of the previous quarter, key economic trends and projections and immediate and long-term issues facing the regional and state economy.