Corn, a crucial agricultural commodity, serves as a fundamental input. Its economic importance has made government subsidies a vital policy instrument to stabilize corn supply and prices To investigate the relationship between corn subsidies and prices, we compiled yearly data on U.S. corn prices, subsidies, exports, production, and inflation from 1980 to 2023. Employing linear and nonlinear regression models, we analyzed the role of corn subsidies in shaping corn prices while controlling for other factors. Our results suggest a statistically significant negative relationship between subsidies and corn prices. Interestingly, this negative relationship weakens at higher subsidy levels, revealing a curvilinear relationship. This implies that while subsidies can lower prices to benefit consumers and stimulate the economy, excessive subsidies may reduce the magnitude of price decreases and dampen producers’ incentives by further suppressing prices and revenue. Our findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, showing the need for careful calibration of subsidies to balance consumer benefits with producer sustainability. We also suggest potential avenues for further exploration to extend this work

Given a set of goods and a set of individuals, one might ask what the optimal way to divide the goods among the individuals is. This is known as a bargaining problem. Bargaining theory is a set of mathematical tools which can help us answer these sorts of questions. Assuming that the individuals’ preferences can be represented numerically, a bargaining solution concept tells us the optimal division of goods, called the solution to the bargaining problem, among the individuals. In some cases, solutions to bargaining problems involve randomly choosing how some or all of the goods are distributed. Of interest to us is the fact that the solutions to these bargaining problems may fail to be continuous, in a certain sense. If the strengths of the individuals’ preferences are changed even slightly, it may be the case that the optimal division of goods changes drastically. Broadly speaking, the goal of this project is to understand when and why this phenomenon occurs. I begin by formally defining what it means for the preferences of the individuals, as well as the sets of solutions to the associated bargaining problems, to be close to one another. I then prove that under certain conditions, small changes in individuals’ preferences cannot result in large changes in bargaining solutions. I am currently still working on proving that if these conditions fail to hold, then one can slightly modify the individuals’ preferences in such a way that the associated bargaining solutions change quite substantially. We hope that these results can be applied to justify randomization amongst options in collective decision making problems, particularly those related to experimental design.

Since the ban on sports betting was struck down by the supreme court in 2018, 38 states have legalized betting in some form. In the third quarter of 2023, sports betting generated over $500 million in tax revenue for state governments. Many of the impacts that seem obvious when thinking about the consequences of legalizing sports betting have already been studied, so in this paper I analyze effects that are further downstream in the causation chain. Specifically, I look at how the legalization of sports betting has affected marital relationships as measured by state-level divorce rates, mental health outcomes as measured by depression rates, and substance abuse issue measured by the number of alcohol related hospitalizations and rehabilitation center bookings. I utilize the staggered rollout of legalization across the country to conduct a difference-in-differences analysis to accurately measure the magnitude of each of these effects. Additionally, I investigate the potential additional damages caused by the legalization of online gambling compared to only in-person gambling. Of the 12 states who have yet to legalize any form of sports gambling, most of them have some form of legislation on the table to decide the future of sports betting in their respective states. Within these legislative sessions, and eventually if these measures are on state ballots,legislators and voters will be asked to personally weigh the pros and cons that are associated with the legalization of sports betting and this paper's aim is to be a small part in helping inform these decisions.

The project examines how geopolitical competition affects the security of global subsea cable infrastructure, which carries 99% of intercontinental internet traffic. We investigate two key questions: how have patterns of cable disruptions changed since 2005, and how do different regions face distinct security challenges? Through analysis of cable incident reports, government documents, and industry data from 2005-2025, combined with detailed case studies of three maritime regions, we examine evolving threat patterns and protection strategies. For instance, our analysis of cable incidents demonstrates a significant shift in both frequency and attribution patterns, there are distinct regional vulnerability patterns, and the private sector companies responsible for this infrastructure are going through a major transformation. Technological competition between major powers has also shaped this infrastructure—with Western nations increasingly restricting Chinese companies' participation in cable projects. Our findings contribute to understanding critical infrastructure protection by demonstrating how geopolitical competition shapes global communications security. We suggest the need for enhanced international cooperation mechanisms, standardized incident response protocols, and balanced approaches.

As digital platforms increasingly influence financial markets, the role of social media engagement in shaping stock performance has gained growing attention. This study investigates the link between social media activity and stock prices, focusing on Reddit, a prominent platform for individual investors to share opinions. Analyzing daily data on the most frequently discussed stocks on Reddit, we examine how discussion volume and sentiment of investors drive stock price movements. Our findings reveal that both discussion volume and positive sentiment are significantly associated with rising stock prices. Additionally, we observed a nonlinear relationship between sentiment, mentions, and stock performance. Specifically, discussion volume exhibited a negative nonlinear relationship with stock prices, while positive sentiment showed a positive nonlinear effect. These results provide insights for investors and financial analysts, highlighting the value of monitoring social media trends to inform investment strategies. f

Social media algorithms shape how people consume information, but their potential influence on political attitudes remains uncertain. This research examines whether TikTok's "For You" page algorithm influences American users' political attitudes toward China by prioritizing positive narratives of China, including support for the People's Republic of China (PRC) policies and strategic objectives. While U.S. policymakers have expressed concerns that TikTok, owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company, may subtly influence public opinion, it remains debated whether its algorithm actively shapes user perceptions. To investigate this, we randomly assigned 60 American TikTok users to three groups: a control group with randomized content exposure, a treatment group exposed to pro-China content, and another to anti-China content. Participants completed surveys before and after their TikTok usage to measure changes in trust, favorability, and perceptions of China's role in international orders. If the algorithm operates purely for engagement optimization, we expect a polarization effect, where participants shift in opposite directions based on their respective content exposure. However, if the algorithm is actively shaping narratives, a uniform shift toward pro-China sentiment across all groups may indicate external influence. Using ANOVA and Difference-in-Differences regression, this study evaluates whether TikTok's algorithm passively reflects user engagement patterns or actively shapes political attitudes. The findings contribute to discussions on social media influence, information manipulation, and digital platforms' role in shaping public opinion.