Two papers, which were prepared by graduate students and a faculty member, are accepted for Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research.
Mr. Alan Branson (PhD; left in picture), Ms. LaTonya Curley (PhD; middle in picture),Ms. Jennifer Hicks-McGowan (PhD;not shown), Mr. Christopher Roby (PhD; right in picture), and professor Jae-Young Ko worked together to analyze payday landing patterns, focusing on socio-economic characteristics of the users, and their motives , using a questionnaire-based survey for the Metro-Jackson area in 2014 (title of the paper: An assessment of payday lending practices in the Metro-Jackson area, Mississippi, and potential policy responses). They found that the users did not want to use the service again, if possible. Also, the terms of the lending services are found to be not easily understood by the customers (Branson_Abstract). Their paper is scheduled to be published for the Fall 2015 issue of Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research, which is a peer-reviewed journal, published by the JSU Mississippi Urban Research Center.
Another paper, done by Mr. Ryan Brown (MPA, class of 2015) and professor Jae-Young Ko, will be published for the same issue of the journal (title of the paper: A correlation analysis of poverty with race, eduction, and economic well-being in Mississippi, and policy alternatives). They examined the county level relationships among poverty, race, economic well-being, and eductional attaintment in the state of Mississippi, and proposed increasing minimum wages, increased funding for public education, and a state-based Earned Income Tax Credit as policy alternatives (Brown_Abstract).
Congratulations to the graduate students!!!!!!
