The Department of Economics and International Business will be holding its last guest speaker seminar of the semester Friday, Oct. 24, in the Smith-Hutson Building room 139 from 12:15-1:45 p.m.
Pere Gomis-Porqueras from the department of economics at the University of Miami, is a published author in the area of economic dynamics, and will be presenting his research entitled “A Macroeconomic Analysis of Obesity in the U.S.”
Many other researchers have been analyzing this topic in recent years, as American obesity rates are much higher than they were a decade ago. Over 60 percent of all Americans are overweight, and nearly 30 percent are classified as obese. This rising trend is also apparent in other developed countries, but recent research says that the United States may have the highest obesity rates in the world.
The paper to be discussed at the seminar looks into this trend from an economic standpoint, factoring in the lowered cost of food, the increased availability of fast food, and the value of time, specifically women’s time. Both graduate and undergraduate students of any major will benefit from the information presented at this seminar, and despite some advanced research methods and terminology, it will be easy to follow.
The Department of Economics and International Business plans to hold three more of these guest speaker seminars next semester, with more from Sam Houston State University faculty.