Experiencing Economics Beyond the Classroom
Throughout the academic year, there are numerous events and opportunities that Laurier Economics students can participate in to deepen their skills and experience economics beyond the classroom. Here we highlight a few of these opportunities.
Economic Outlook, February 12, 2025
Students interested in current economic issues should definitely check out Economic Outlook. Each year, the Laurier Centre for Economic Research and Policy Analysis (LCERPA) and the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics present Economic Outlook - a community-focused event designed to give the public more insight into current economic issues. This year, Economic Outlook tackles the question “what is the real impact of immigration on the Canadian economy”. Panellists include one of the leading experts on immigration's impact on the economy, and former Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, Dr. Jennifer Hunt (Rutgers University) and Chief Economist of the Conference Board of Canada, Pedro Antunes.
Economics students are particularly welcome to join the discussion and ask questions to our speakers during the Q&A. Register for free today: https://bit.ly/42exhOz. There is also a poster session that runs alongside Economic Outlook where undergraduate and graduate economics students showcase their research. Come check it out and see who wins the best poster prize!
The SMITH competition 2025
Economics students can refine their empirical skills by competing in the “SMITH” competition. This year a whopping 22 teams of undergraduate economics students have signed up to compete in the 2nd annual Students Mastering Intriguing Testable Hypotheses (SMITH) competition. This event offers students a great learning experience outside of the classroom as teams compete to predict individual hourly wages using the Canadian Labour Force Survey (LFS). Understanding the determinants of wages is important not only because labour compensation is the main way individuals are compensated for their work but also because knowing more about what determines wages can help answer questions about income inequality and upward mobility. There is a $300 prize for the winning team from each of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year.
The SMITH competition is now underway. Stay tuned to see which teams win!! Will it be the “Equilibrium Enforcers”, the “Fiscal Falcons”, or maybe the “Scarcity Squad”? For more information, check out the Students Mastering Intriguing Testable Hypotheses website!
Bank of Canada Governor’s Challenge
If you enjoy a macroeconomic policy challenge, then check out the Bank of Canada’s Governor’s Challenge. Last week, a team of undergraduate students from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics put their knowledge of monetary policy to the test at the Bank of Canada Governor’s Challenge national final. Laurier students Kyle Arndt, Matyas Cseke, Lana El-Masry, Cheryl Li and Miraide Palmer competed against fellow finalists from Université de Sherbrooke, University of Guelph, University of Alberta, University of Ottawa and Western University for the national title. This year’s winner was the University of Ottawa.
The challenge is designed to promote understanding of the role of monetary policy in Canada’s economy. Participating teams must analyze and forecast economic developments and recommend whether to raise the bank’s key interest rate, lower it, or leave it unchanged to keep inflation low, stable and in line with the bank’s two per cent inflation target. Laurier’s team was announced as a Bank of Canada Governor’s Challenge national finalist this past November following a preliminary competition that included more than 100 students from 26 Canadian universities. In addition to Arndt, Cseke, El-Masry, Li and Palmer, students Carson Boettinger, Charlie Fletcher and Jad Tamimi were part of the team that helped prepare for Laurier’s first round Bank of Canada Governor’s Challenge entry in November.
Laurier students who participate in the Bank of Canada Governor’s Challenge take two undergraduate courses in preparation. These courses engage students in an immersive learning environment, including in-class presentation competitions that allow students to assess the work of their peers.
Congratulations to Team Laurier on all their hard work and on making it to the finals!!
Finances of the Nation Student Infographic Competition
Infographics are a clean, creative, and intuitive way to communicate data. They can reveal key patterns quickly, and are increasingly used by businesses, academics, governments, statistical agencies, and more! Students interested in combining their economics and data visualization skills to explore public policy problems should check out the 3rd annual Finances of the Nation Student Infographic competition.
The theme for this year’s infographic competition is: Fiscal Pressures and Affordability Challenges. Students are encouraged to use data from Finances of the Nation or related sources to explore policy problems and solutions at the federal, provincial or local government level. There is no shortage of possible questions to explore in an infographic. How does Ontario’s plan to send cheques for $200 affect affordability challenges and the budget position? Are targeted transfers or universal programs a better solution to cost of living pressures? Are social assistance payments adequate given the cost of living?
While submissions related to this year’s theme are encouraged, all submissions are welcome. The deadline for submission is May 9, 2025 with results announced in June 2025.
The winning entry will receive $500. The runner-up will receive $300. Check out Laurier student Evan Clementino’s winning submission from 2023.
