One public policy topic that has become increasingly relevant in recent years is student loan forgiveness. As the cost of higher education has continued to rise, many students graduate with significant amounts of debt. In the United States, total student loan debt has grown into the trillions of dollars, making it one of the largest forms of household debt. Because of this, policymakers and economists have begun debating whether forgiving some or all of this debt could benefi

We have recently been discussing taxation in my economics class, which is an important area where economics and public policy intersect. Taxes are the primary source of revenue for governments to fund public programs and services, but they also influence economic behavior in significant ways. Understanding how taxes affect incentives has helped me see why tax policy is such an important and often debated part of economic policy. When governments impose taxes on goods, income

One public policy concept that has become increasingly interesting to me while studying economics is the idea of market failure. In theory, markets are described as efficient systems where individuals pursuing their own interests lead to outcomes that benefit society as a whole. However, in reality, markets do not always function perfectly. Market failure occurs when the allocation of resources through a free market leads to outcomes that are inefficient or socially undesirab

A few weeks ago I visited the University of Pennsylvania and spent time learning about both the Wharton School and the University in general. The historic brick buildings and tree-lined paths gave the University a traditional college feel while still being located in the middle of Philly. The campus felt lively and active, with students studying outside, moving between classes, and participating in different activities. The campus was completely different than my school, and

One of the market structures I’ve been learning about in economics is perfect competition, and it is helpful for understanding how competitive markets are supposed to work. Perfect competition describes a market where many buyers and sellers interact, no single participant has control over price, and everyone has access to the same information. It is a baseline for how markets are meant to behave. In a perfectly competitive market, firms are considered price takers, meaning t

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit UT Austin, and the experience gave me a new perspective on what studying public policy and economics at a college level might look like. The campus felt different than I expected because it was much bigger than anything I had seen before. Walking around and seeing the campus firsthand made the experience feel much more real. Instead of just hearing about the university, I was able to explore the campus, see the buildings where students

One concept that has really stood out to me while studying economics is utility. At first, it sounded like a technical term, but it’s actually a simple idea: utility describes the satisfaction or benefit someone gets from a good or service. The more I’ve worked with this concept, the more I’ve realized how important it is to understanding everyday decision-making and how markets function. Utility helps explain why people make the choices they do when resources are limited. Si

Understanding supply and demand was one of the first big ideas I ran into while studying economics, and it didn’t take long to see why it’s considered so important. At its core, supply and demand explain how prices are set and how markets react when something changes, whether that’s consumer behavior, government policy, or available resources. Even though the model looks simple at first, it connects to almost every decision people, businesses, and policymakers make. Demand de

Starting this blog marks the beginning of my effort to document my growth as I study public policy, economics, and finance. I choose to write this blog to capture the learning process and my progression through that process. This blog will be an extension of my scholastic experiences and provide me an opportunity to better understand what I am learning in the classroom. My hope is that by documenting my journey, I can both help others and improve my understanding of what I am