Uma Menon

Candidate Lookup NYC

Started June 9, 2023

Abstract or project description

Abstract submitted for Session 3:

Abstract: Candidate Lookup NYC will be a platform to help people connect with and support local campaigns in their communities. The problem is a general lack of information and media concerning local candidates and policy. In New York, local elected officials are more impactful to public policy that affects our daily lives, more so than state and national representatives. It is difficult for challenger candidates to get press and frequent redistricting leaves voters unsure of who their representatives are. This website would solve this problem by being an easy-to-use platform to get information about candidates by filtering by the office they are running for, their district, party, top platform issues, endorsements, voting records, and other relevant information. The audience would be any New Yorkers looking to get involved in local politics, and especially members of my club at school called “Youth Campaigners.” In this club, I reach out to local campaign managers and set up events for high schoolers in the city to campaign for candidates who are working to solve issues they are passionate about.

How does the immigration of high-skilled workers, low-skilled workers, and refugees affect U.S. GDP per capita?

Started Feb. 16, 2022

Abstract or project description

This paper studies the effect on US GDP per capita of the immigration of high-skilled workers, low-skilled workers, and refugees. Specifically, this paper analyzes how the different characteristics of these groups - education, skill level, and language ability - determine how immigration affects GDP per capita through the lens of patenting, entrepreneurship, and cost savings. In critically analyzing and synthesizing related existing research, this paper will also distinguish between stronger and weaker arguments to present the most plausible economic effects of influxes of these groups of immigrants.