Letter From the Editors

Letter From the Editors

Dear Reader,

The contributors to Equilibrium and the Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, are proud to present the thirteenth edition of Equilibrium: The Undergraduate Journal of Economics. Our goal is to highlight the outstanding research that our economics undergraduates have done, particularly that of our contributing writers.

With this thirteenth edition, we are excited to share a diverse profile of writers who have contributed insightful articles on a wide range of topics. For instance, writers interested in real estate delve into zoning regulations and corresponding housing affordability in Madison. On the topic of political economics, writers examine the lingering effects of divided government in the US and the Russia-Ukraine War on the world economy. Our labor and health writers explore healthcare policy, Chinese population issues, and analyze urban crime rates and income inequality. Additionally, some articles cover general economic theory, such as asymmetry in higher education ranking, market mechanisms for job matching, paperless ticketing, luxury goods in networks, and the AI impacts of the financial industry. We hope that you will gain fresh perspectives from all of these fields of interest that our talented writers have contributed to.

We are indebted to our Journal Advisor Tara Ninmann for general guidance and support in publication, Design Partner Amy Schultz for accommodating

EQ to partner with a UW Digital Studies program, and two graphic designers, Lauren Hando and Jamie Randall. We would also like to thank WIDE (PhD cohorts) for helpful suggestions for economics explorations, and we are grateful to faculty members for generously supporting the review process. We appreciate the work our department has done to support funding, get more UGRD students involved in research, and start more conversations to make the department more open to everyone.

Finally, we appreciate all the great work from all our contributing writers. Creating the Equilibrium journal is a collaborative effort, and it would not have been possible without your dedicated input. Research is a long-term commitment, and we hope this unique experience of conducting economics research, intensive writing, and publishing, will inspire you on whatever your next journey through life may be!

Sincerely,

Matthew Watiker & Eric Hsienchen Chu

Matthew Watiker

Eric Hsienchen Chu