This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Economics and business major Lori Anderson ’06 (Haworth, N.J.) is conducting independent research that is helping her understand the role of economic freedom in developing countries and giving her valuable experience in academic research.
Guided by Ed Gamber, professor of economics and business, Anderson is exploring the question “Is the effect of monetary aid on economic growth in a developing country conditional on that nation’s degree of economic freedom?”
Anderson decided to explore the topic after serving an internship at the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason University last summer. IHS states its mission as follows: “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented, productive students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and who demonstrate the potential to help change the current climate of opinion to one more congenial to the principles and practice of freedom.”
“IHS is a libertarian organization that strongly believes in economic freedom as the key to growth in developing countries,” Anderson explains. “I have never done a project on this topic before, so it is quite new to me, but I am very interested in the ideas of freedom. I am excited to see the different ways that freedoms affect a country’s growth.
“I am doing an econometric model using 56 different countries from 1995 to 2004 to look at the effect of economic freedom on growth in countries that receive monetary aid,” she continues. “I’m saying that growth occurs in a country because of certain reasons, and I’m using this model to explain those reasons.”
Anderson plans to present her findings at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April and to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in economics, then “either teach or do research or both.” She has applied to Columbia, Cornell, George Mason, and Johns Hopkins, among other schools, for graduate study.
“What I’m learning, including how to organize my time and find research, has been useful, especially if you want to go to graduate school,” she says. “I would never have been able to do this four years ago. It’s a really good experience to cap your undergraduate work.”
Gamber couldn’t agree more. He says many graduate students stumble when it comes time to write a master’s thesis because it is the first really big research project they’ve tackled.
“To have the opportunity to do this research project as an undergraduate is a real advantage for Lori, because she has the skills to put together a literature search, find data, run regressions, analyze results – all the things that sort of make up a tool kit for an economic researcher,” he says.
Anderson says she also benefits from opportunities to discuss careers in academia with Gamber during their weekly meetings. “Professor Gamber has been a really great adviser.”
“Lori has ambitions to be an academic, and that’s the career path I took. I can help someone like her develop skills she will need to succeed in that career,” Gamber says. “Those are conversations I certainly never had as an undergraduate at a large state university.”
Anderson joined with other students in designing a clean water system that will be constructed in Honduras by the College’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. A member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the national economics honor society, and Investment Club, she studied in Italy in the summer of 2004.
A four-year varsity swimmer, Anderson set a school record during her first year. She coaches adults and children for swimming in the Special Olympics. She’s a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and serves as Student Government’s liaison to the campus Greek community.
Independent studies are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year; 39 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.