Assistant Professor of Economics Stephen Wu recently presented papers at SUNY Binghamton and Syracuse University. His paper at Binghamton was "Fatalistic Tendencies: An Explanation of Why People Don't Save." This paper uses data from the Survey of Consumer Finances to analyze household savings behavior. Individuals who are pessimistic about the future are more likely to realize their need to save, but are less likely to actually do so, suggesting that fatalism may partly explain the low savings rates of many households.
In March, at Syracuse University he delivered the paper, "The Search for Research Talent: Information Networks and Admissions to Economics Ph.D. Programs." This study uses data on pre-graduate school characteristics to
forecast both completion rates in the Ph.D. program and subsequent
publishing success. The results suggest that several variables
consistently predict degree completion and long run research
productivity: math GRE scores, having a foreign undergraduate degree,
and the quality of the individuals who write letters of reference.
In March, at Syracuse University he delivered the paper, "The Search for Research Talent: Information Networks and Admissions to Economics Ph.D. Programs." This study uses data on pre-graduate school characteristics to
forecast both completion rates in the Ph.D. program and subsequent
publishing success. The results suggest that several variables
consistently predict degree completion and long run research
productivity: math GRE scores, having a foreign undergraduate degree,
and the quality of the individuals who write letters of reference.
