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Darla Moore School of Business

outside of Darla Moore School of Business building

Please join us for two days of scholarship and networking at our second annual PhD Symposium. This year, we have expanded the event to include PhD candidates from nearby institutions, and we hope to connect these promising young scholars with potential mentors  in our region as well as with policymakers and policy professionals across South Carolina. We would be delighted to have you join us for this event as another opportunity to bring academics and non-academics together in meaningful conversation and exchange.

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2026 Economics Ph.D. Student Symposium

Agenda

Monday, April 27, 2026 
Session 1:  1:00 – 2:30 p.m. | DMSB 334 
  • 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
    Qianqian (Ivy) Tang. Emory University.
    “Inequality, Electric Vehicles, and Energy Transition.”
  • 1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
    Roxana Gonzalez-Cortez. University of South Carolina.
    “Opportunity Zones and the Housing Supply: Do Place-Based Tax Subsidies Create Net New Construction?”
Session 2: 2:45 – 4:15 p.m. | DMSB 334 
  • 2:45 – 3:30 p.m.
    Janghyeok An. Clemson University.
    “Overtime Hours Reform and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from South Korea.”
  • 3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
    Yunus Demirci. University of South Carolina.
    “The Targeted Effect of Consumer Privacy Legislation on Identity Theft: Evidence from California’s CCPA.”
  • 5:30 p.m.
    Networking / Dinner
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Session 3: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | DMSB 105
  • 8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
    Sarah Ayensuah Bainn. North Carolina State University.
    “The Effect of State Reproductive Health Laws on Maternal and Infant Health.”
  • 9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
    Shivangi Sarkar. Clemson University.
    “Financial Incentives in Health to Improve Childhood Vaccination: Evidence from India.”
Session 4: 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. | DMSB 105
  • 10:15 – 11:00 a.m.
    Zachary Gooch. Florida State University.
    “Performance Pay at Scale: Teacher Retention and Mobility under Texas’s Teacher Incentive Allotment.”
  • 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
    Dylan Burke. University of South Carolina.
    “Gambling with Graduation: Mobile Sports Betting Legalization and Student Persistence.”
  • 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
    Lunch
Session 5: 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. | DMSB 105
  • 1:15 – 2:00 p.m.
    Narender Mahor. University of South Carolina.
    “Labor-related Incidents and Automation Discussion in Earnings Calls.”
Flash Talks 
  • 2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
    Debbie Amewu. University of South Carolina.
    “Bail Reform and Criminal Justice Outcomes: Evidence from Eliminating Presumptions Against Bail in Virginia.”
  • 2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
    Ayse Mehmeti. University of South Carolina.
    “Does Health IT Improve Outcomes for Patients Far From Home? Evidence from Meaningful Use in Florida.”
  • 2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
    Ashley Rojas. University of South Carolina.
    “Close Elections and Immigration Enforcement: Evidence from Sheriff Races and 287(g) Agreements.”

SC Economic Policy Center (SC EPiC)

SC EPIC’s mission is to connect decision-makers in and beyond South Carolina to applied economic research in the Department of Economics at the Darla Moore School of Business.

Visit SC EPiC's Webpage
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Darla Moore School of Business

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Darla Moore School of Business
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Columbia, SC 29208