Doctoral Programs
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Andrew Young School currently has 50 students in the Ph.D. in Economics program, 7 students in the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development program, and 16 students in the joint Ph.D. in Public Policy enrolled for Fall 2002.

In This Page

• The Ph.D. in Economics and the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development
  • Graduates
  • Current Students
• Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy
• Graduate Research and Teaching Assistants

The Ph.D. in Economics and the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development

Doctoral Graduates

Nine doctoral degrees were awarded in the Andrew Young School in 2001.

Ph.D. in Economics

Mary Olufemi Alao completed her dissertation, "Determinants of Hospital Provision of Uncompensated Care: An Empirical Analysis of Georgia Hospitals," and works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Harold Ball completed his dissertation, "Maximizing Innovative Activity through RJV Participation." He continues with the consulting firm that he founded 2 years ago, SRI Analytics, Inc., specializing in economic analysis for Marketing and Finance departments. His major client is BellSouth Corporation.

Grant Black completed his dissertation, "The Geography of Small Firm Innovation," and is working as Research Associate in the Andrew Young School. During Spring 2002 he will serve as Visiting Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Jill Marie Gunderson completed her dissertation, "The Transition from Welfare to Work." She works as Research Economist for Economic Research Services in Tallahassee, Florida.

Adam Keith Korobow completed his dissertation, "Wage Dynamics of New and Small Firms in Knowledge and Non-Knowledge Industries: A Different Perspective on the Firm-size Wage Effect in a Dual-Sector, Dynamic Setting." He works as research associate at the National Research Council National Academy of Sciences.

Robert Martin McNab completed his dissertation, "An Empirical Examination of the Outcomes of Fiscal Decentralization." He is Assistant Professor at the Defense Resources Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.

Baoyun Qiao completed his dissertation, "The Trade-Off Between Growth and Equity of China's Decentralization."

Susan Rose Snyder completed her dissertation, "The Physician Services Market: Competition, Bargaining Power and the Effects of Physician-Managed Care Market Structure." She works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Research Fellow.

Current Students

Doctoral students co-author a number of articles with AYSPS faculty, and engage in a wide assortment of research and international activities. For a complete listing, see the "Graduate Student Activities" portion of the research section of this report.

The Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy

The joint Georgia State-Georgia Tech Ph.D. program in Public Policy continues to grow, strengthen, and diversify. Most of the 22 current students are Americans, but citizens of Bolivia, China, France, India, Korea, and Turkey comprise one-third of the students. Six students have successfully completed their core comprehensive examinations, and we expect our first two graduates in 2002. Eight students have presented research papers at professional conferences or have had them published in refereed journals. Seven have taught courses since joining the program.

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistants

Almost all doctoral students and many master's-level students in AYSPS work as graduate assistants while completing their academic programs. A list of the break-down per semester is provided below.