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Research experiences
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LECG Economic Consulting
I studied the economic and legal literatures to assess the
proper means for valuing patent rights. I applied these results
to damages calculations in intellectual property litigation.
I also performed an economic analysis of a proposal to reform
the California property tax system through the introduction
of a split roll.
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Summer 2008
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University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Business
and
Economic Research
I worked with Professor Richard Gilbert on intellectual property
issues. Specifically, I looked at historical trends in patent
litigation outcomes and awards. Also, I examined the institutional
factors that lead to the creation of patent pools for digital
media standards.
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Summer 2007--
Fall 2007
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Cornell
University Department of Government
I worked with Professor Walter Mebane
to develop statistical tests for the forensic analysis of
election returns. We created a model of voter choice and
manipulated vote counts to simulate a variety of fraud scenarios.
We analyzed the frequency of digits in the resulting vote
totals for conformity to frequencies predicted by Benford's
Law. Unadulterated vote totals followed this distribution,
while many tampered results did not. Precinct-level data
from the 1996, 2000, and 2004 U.S. presidential elections,
too, largely followed Benford's Law. These results suggest
that a Benford's Law test may help detect fraud in American
elections.
(See a description of Walter's work in The
Economist.)
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Summer 2006
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Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Office of Markets, Tariffs, and Rates, Policy Group
Under Chief Economist Richard O'Neill, I prepared a paper
outlining the theory and assumptions underlying models of
oligopoly. I generated an original oligopoly model based
upon asymmetric firm. I assessed the applicability of these
models to market power monitoring and mitigation in the
electricity sector and summarized empirical findings. Additionally,
I co-authored a paper with Dick O'Neill and others on bilateral
market power. I was presented with the Agency's Award for
Quality Service for my work.
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Summer 2005
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Beacon
Hill Institute for Public Policy Research
My internship began by researching,
compiling, and analyzing data on state and local tax referenda
in Massachusetts in search of evidence for the Tiebout hypothesis.
Later that summer, I worked with a team of interns to conduct
a contingent valuation survey of Cape Cod residents and
tourists. The survey was part of a larger study of the economic
and environmental impacts of siting windmills in Nantucket
Sound. The following summer, I performed a comparative analysis
of the efficiency of northeastern highway systems in response
to Governor Mitt Romney's proposal to merge the Highway
Department and the Turnpike Authority.
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Summers 2003-2004
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