Stanford Economics Association (SEA)

Organizer Spotlight! Catherine Sarkis: Hii everyone, I’m Catherine! I’m originally from Switzerland and a member of the Stanford class of 2023, planning on dou...ble-majoring in Economics & Philosophy. I love Econ because I think that the way it attempts to mathematically model individual behaviour and wellbeing is fascinating! I’m also really passionate about public policy as it to me is at the intersection of the most interesting and pressing problems in Economics and Philosophy. Recently, on the organizing team of the COVID-19 Policy Hackathon, I have been reaching out to a wide range of inspiring, accomplished academics who will serve as your mentors. I have also been helping market our event, to ensure that as many people as possible will benefit from this opportunity! I truly believe that, through fostering creativity, innovation, and camaraderie, this project will bring out the best in the pandemic. I’m beyond excited to see the solutions you all will come up with, and, in the meantime, enjoy the journey! :) See more

As society implements social distancing measures and enters a new era of reduced public interaction, small businesses are facing most of the economic repercussi...ons. Furthermore, essential workers who are more exposed than others during this crisis are carrying the highest risk while employment rates have plummeted to historical lows. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics cites a 14.7% unemployment rate in April, many sources believe it’s even higher if you account for the misclassified workers who are employed but cannot work due to COVID-19 implications.How should we think about supporting local businesses and ensure they are not left behind as we begin to shift the limelight from public health issues to questions of economic reboost? And how do we protect workers from risk as more people reenter the workforce and support job employment? See more

Organizer Spotlight! Avi Gupta: I am a freshman at Stanford University, an incoming co-president of the Stanford Economics Association, and the director of out...reach efforts for the COVID-19 Policy Hackathon. My team has been hard at work recruiting co-sponsors, judges, on-call mentors, and speakers from industry, academia, and government. I’m fascinated by the way economics empowers people to understand the world around them, and proud to have assisted Professor B. Douglas Bernheim at Stanford in conducting behavioral economics research that helped expand financial access for entrepreneurs in underserved communities around the world. I’m most excited to see how collaboration and creativity will coalesce in the COVID-19 Policy Hackathon and produce policy solutions to help alleviate the economic challenges posed by the pandemic. Outside of academics, I am an avid trumpeter and passionate about all things food (check out @whatsavicookin ) See more

The Public Health track is probably the most pressing and forefront policy issue to think about during this pandemic. The scope of this track would entail a... numerous amount of topics. From vaccine distribution to school reopenings , the public health track challenges us to think about the most efficacious and safest ways to protect our populations. Furthermore, certain communities and demographics face differing public health challenges. How should we protect our vulnerable populations as we reopen society? And would this look different for a community in the US as opposed to India? Urban vs rural? We look forward to your ideas on how these problems can be solved! Think outside the box! We recommend focusing on a specific community and context to design for their needs. See more