Highlights from the 2025 Business Forecast Luncheon
Nobody knows just how 2025 will unfold: downside risks could sink everyone’s forecasts or events could prove these economists' forecasts (mostly) true.
02/11/2025
An Economists' Guide to Surviving the PGA Tour
Migrant social networks provide necessary support for foreign players on the PGA tour, especially during their inaugural season.
10/29/2024 | By Alyssa Riley, Raja Kali
Low-Skilled Labor Suffers More in a Less Dynamic Labor Market
Employer concentration reduces worker turnover, impacting wages and job mobility for less educated workers in low-skill industries.
10/17/2024 | By Mitchell Simpson, Raja Kali, and Andrew Yizhou Liu
Why Summer School Matters
Enrolling in summer school classes can accelerate degree completion, benefiting both students and institutions. So why don't more students enroll?
09/10/2024 | By Ashton York, Andy Brownback
Mining Data on the American Dream
Social mobility has stalled. What behaviors, choices, and habits can U.S. policymakers encourage & direct funding towards to reinvigorate social mobility?
06/13/2024 | By Stephen Caldwell; Paul Gramling
Being Near Pro Stadiums Really Matters for Businesses
Proximity to NFL and NBA pro stadiums and arenas generated $10 million in revenue/month for businesses when lockdown conditions were absent in 2021.
06/03/2024 | By Stephen Caldwell with James Wallis
The Surprising Impact of Studying Roadkill
Wildlife crossings should drastically lower roadkill instances but they often don't; recent MSEA grad Tandem Young's capstone project explores why.
05/17/2024 | By Stephen Caldwell with Tandem Young
The Effect of Urban Density on Social Capital
In low/middle-income countries, population density affects social capital by lowering trust & community participation but promoting intergroup tolerance.
01/23/2024 | By Mitchell Simpson; Andrea Civelli and Arya Gaduh
The More We Argue, The More We Trade
Yes, social media discourse could affect your investments. Read about how positive disagreement and access to information on StockTwits relates to trading.
07/25/2023 | By Jack Travis, Vernon Richardson
Revisiting the 2023 Business Forecast Luncheon: Highlights for Young Professionals
How should young professionals prepare for economic changes in 2023? Read about recessions (or lack thereof), marginal factors, and resilience in the economy.
03/16/2023 | By Sarah Browning, Mervin Jebaraj
Understanding African Startups’ Exponential Growth
African startups raised billions early in 2022. Find out how entrepreneurs and investors operate in the African startup ecosystem to create this amazing growth.
07/26/2022 | By Miranda Stith, Narmine Ben Aissa
What Can Twitter Teach Us About Politics?
Can we use Twitter and Facebook to hold politicians accountable? This student project compares politicians' tweets to their legislative actions.
06/28/2022 | By Jack Travis
Raising the Minimum Wage Decreases Occupational Mobility, Increases Job Mismatch
Economic policy often has unintended consequences. Find out what one study says about the potential effects of increasing the minimum wage.
01/26/2022 | By Lucas Cuni-Mertz, Andrew (Yizhou) Liu
What Are the Risks for Retailers When Adopting Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence remains uncharted territory fraught with risk. Fortunately, Walton College researchers have begun to map the road ahead.
11/01/2021 | By Lucas Cuni-Mertz, Hyunseok Jung
Economic Analytics Graduate Degree Fills Gap in Education To Meet an Urgent Marketplace Need
The Master of Science in Economic Analytics is a recently created one-year program designed with training in both economics and cutting-edge data science, but without the heavy-lifting research and dissertation that comes with a doctorate.
03/18/2021 | By Stephen Caldwell
A Tale of Two Businesses: Arkansas’ Bars and Liquor Stores during COVID-19
This report expands on information first delivered at the 2021 Arkansas Business Forecast.
02/03/2021 | By David Sorto
Why ‘The Force’ Is With Economics Students
Raja Kali, the chair of the Department of Economics at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, likes to use the Star Wars analogy with students and prospective students who are considering economics as a major, because it makes the point that economics underlies almost every aspect of human interactions.
10/22/2020 | By Stephen Caldwell
Cracking Under Pressure: The Side Effects of Nonmonetary Prize
While there is nothing inherently wrong with nonmonetary prizes, you might want to think twice before you offer one in the name of harmless, friendly competition and good performance.
08/21/2020 | By Michael Adkison, Raja Kali
What’s the Best Way to Use That $1,200 Stimulus Check and Help the Economy?
Many Americans will get a check for up to $1,200, with up to an additional $500 per child for some, as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. And it raises the question: If you want that money to actually help stimulate the economy, what’s the best way to put it to use?
04/09/2020 | By Raja Kali
COVID-19 Economic Impact in Arkansas
Health measures are important to slow the spread of the virus, but they have immediate economic impacts on businesses across the state of Arkansas.
03/24/2020 | By Mervin Jebaraj
Keeping Up with the Clusters
A business cluster is a concentration of companies designed for innovation. Often, these businesses interact with each other, bringing specialization, research and entrepreneurship to the cluster.
01/17/2020 | By Michael Adkison