Major: Economics

Project: When finance heads East: A comparative analysis of financialization in the U.S., U.K., and emerging Asian economies

Professor Pete Vechsuruck and I studied financialization and its indicators across 16 emerging economies, as well as the U.S. and U.K. In short, financialization can be described as the growing dominance of the financial sector in the economy, especially with financial channels bringing in the most profits for corporations. At the household level, this applies to everyday citizens relying more on credit/debt, or even having a 401(k) plan through their employers. Professor Pete and I want to contribute to a gap in financialization research with emerging Asian economies, especially because of their recent, notable growth in the sector. We were also able to connect these indicators to income inequality, leaving room for potential future research.

Faculty Mentor: Tanadej Pete Vechsuruck

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“This project involved a lot of data wrangling to compile all of these indicators, and some we calculated ourselves. It was an invaluable learning experience in terms of formulating the right questions, reviewing literature for research, sourcing/extracting data, and creating effective data visuals. I really enjoyed the whole process, especially receiving valuable feedback and constantly modifying my work. This experience reaffirmed my thoughts on a future career in research and/or academia.” – Teresa Oliviera