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When the U.S. government implemented its most recent tax changes, many wondered what impact they would have on the economy in general and their jobs in particular. However, few taxpayers have the time, the means, or the talent to investigate.
Peter Hume Heinrich Carlson ’02 (Potomac, Md.), an economics and business major and computer science minor, is taking the time to do just that in his senior honors thesis, “The Impact of Recent Tax Changes on Self Employment, Potential Labor Supply and Long Term Growth.”
“I’m doing this topic because I live near Washington, DC, and while I was living there this summer, I heard so much about it that I decided to find out for myself what it was really going to do for our country — specifically, our economy,” says Carlson.
“This is very different from other research I have done and I am excited to learn a great deal about this area of economics. I am excited because I will learn about what the government bases its claims on, and how it can and does manipulate the numbers.”
Edward Gamber, associate professor of economics and business, is Carlson’s thesis adviser. Gamber has worked in the Congressional Budget Office and Carlson feels fortunate to have his assistance.
“I am very excited to be working with him not only because he is my favorite professor, but also because of his qualifications,” says Carlson. “He has worked for government agencies before, which is where I am accumulating my data, so that is incredibly helpful. Also, he is very experienced in the academic arena. It seems that for every article I bring him, he knows or has met the author.”
“Peter has a real knack for doing independent work,” says Gamber. “I think our ultimate goal is to teach students to be independent thinkers, self-motivated learners, and curious observers of the real world. Writing an honors thesis gives students the opportunity to test their skills in these areas. Unlike course work where most, if not all, of the material is defined for the student, the material for an honors thesis must be defined by the student. Peter has done an outstanding job defining an interesting research project that could possibly lead to a published paper in a scholarly journal.”
Carlson has found all the resources he needs readily available. “Our professors are well rounded and have many good contacts,” says Carlson. “Also, it is easy to get anything on loan in our library or simply have the library purchase the book.”
A graduate of Winston Churchill High School, Carlson makes time to research and write his thesis in between his regular course work, an internship, and extracurricular activities. Last semester, he had an internship working for the director of operations of the Allentown Ambassadors baseball team. He has held several positions in his fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and is a peer educator and a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honor society.
A National Leader in Undergraduate Research. Peter Carlson ’02 made a presentation on honors research he did under the guidance of Ed Gamber, associate professor of economics and business, at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.