Economics student Noa Ortiz-Langleben's paper ‘Universities and Economic Growth in the United States’ has been featured in the 2021 edition of Equilibria: Duke Economics Review.
The empirical analysis uses economic data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and a national survey of U.S. universities to examine the relationship between higher education institutions (HEIs) and regional economic growth in the United States. It advances the question of whether a positive causal relationship exists between higher education and economic prosperity, shedding new light on the question by analyzing the economic impact of universities founded after 1970. The study examines the complex relationship between higher education and per capita personal income at the state and national level, prompting further research into the economic impact of direct institutional spending and human capital development with respect to the modern American university.
The study was one of five papers selected for the 2021 edition of Duke Equilibria, an annual undergraduate economics journal that publishes a selection of outstanding academic literature from academic institutions across the world. Equilibria accepts exceptional research papers, with an emphasis on high-caliber analyses. Articles are selected based on strength of analysis and originality of argument.