Shreedhar Sasikumar ’05 (Kerada, India) recently teamed up with a professor in research to investigate the possible link between isolation and poverty.
A double major in international affairs and economics & business, Sasikumar worked with David Stifel, assistant professor of economics and business, to find out why lower levels of agriculture exist in remote areas as compared to less remote ones.
Stifel, now in his second year at Lafayette, started the project in Madagascar and has continued the research. He and Sasikumar analyzed migration decisions and the relationship between non-farm income earning potential and the productivity of agriculture. He says it is clear that non-farm occupations play a role in earning potential by “raising the opportunity cost of allocating labor to farming.”
“When there are no opportunities to earn incomes off the farm, then the decision for farmers essentially boils down to allocating their time between labor in agriculture and leisure,” he says.
The project was part of Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. EXCEL has helped Lafayette become a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
“Essentially, we saw what steps the government should take to alleviate poverty,” explains Sasikumar, who also gave a presentation at the 18th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research based on his independent research on corruption and other possible causes of economic growth or economic degradation in a region of Africa.
He tabulated information from interviews and surveys of over 50,000 Madagascar households. He used statistics software to study the results of the interviews and surveys.
“Shreedhar had the opportunity to learn the software. Much of the challenge for him in this particular project was to learn how to use the software and to understand the data,” Stifel says.
Sasikumar admitted that the program was difficult to learn. However, he says Stifel was patient in teaching him how to use it, and helped him get up to speed with the data set.
“Hopefully, we can use Madagascar as a model for other regions,” Sasikumar says, noting that they did not find a definite correlation between isolation and poverty or migration.
He says that the topics of poverty, migration, and isolation are of great interest to him, and he hopes to one day travel to Third World countries in Asia and Africa and help encourage their development.
After taking an economics class with Stifel, Sasikumar approached him about working together on an EXCEL project, and says that his mentor was helpful and patient throughout.
“One of the great things was taking the class with him,” Sasikumar says. “You can’t help but understand the topic of discussion. He goes through step-by-step until you understand it.”
Stifel speaks highly of the opportunities Lafayette offers its students.
“The academic environment here at Lafayette is very conducive to projects like this,” Stifel says. “One of the things that drew me to Lafayette is the interaction among faculty and students in research. When I think back to my days as an undergraduate, I would have done anything to have the sort of opportunity to work with faculty members that the students have here.”
“We have a very good opportunity here to learn and do research,” Sasikumar adds. “It’s a great way for students to work and learn first hand. The environment is nice and friendly.”
Sasikumar, who also has conducted EXCEL research with Susan Averett, associate professor and head of economics & business, is a writing associate in the College Writing program and a peer tutor in the economics department. He is also a member of Lafayette’s Fed Challenge Team, the International Students Association, and the Cricket Club. He hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a doctorate in development economics. Although he has not decided on a future career, he says that teaching and working for an organization to further development in Third World countries are options.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the annual conference in April.
Shreedhar Sasikumar ’05 conducted EXCEL Scholars research on poverty in Madagascar with David Stifel, assistant professor of economics and business.