The Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research (CMEPR) is a research center at George Mason University that provides a forum for faculty and graduate students at the Schar School of Policy and Government and other units of the University for policy-relevant research using the methods of micro-economics and micro-econometrics. The Center capitalizes on the already considerable activity in these central fields of public policy within the Schar School and elsewhere, and demonstrates the University’s accomplishments. CMEPR is housed within the Schar School of Policy and Government, but it is be open to participants from all other units in the hopes of building a community of scholars. CMEPR has established links with researchers at George Mason University’s Department of Economics, the Department of Health Administration and Policy, the Law School, and the School of Education.
The main activities of CMEPR include:
- Regular research seminars with speakers from inside and outside the Schar School – the Micro-Economic Policy Seminar (MEPS) (see Seminar page)
- A reading group for graduate students on Micro-Econometrics
- Support for PhD students from the Schar School, and other units interested in micro-economic policies and program evaluation
- Support for the MPP Concentration in Economic Policy Analysis
- Support for a possible PhD Concentration in Micro-economic Policy Evaluation
- Continue to build links with other GMU units (Law School, Economics Department, School of Management), with other universities, and research institutions in the area
Research projects focus on the micro-economic decision makers in the economy – firms, workers, and consumers – and how they are affected by public policies. Examples of current research include:
- The effects of SBA loans on job creation, firm survival, and productivity in the US
- The effects of foreign direct investment on wages, employment, and productivity in Hungary
- Micro-credit and firm growth in Romania
- Political connections and firm performance in Ukraine
- Comparative analysis of privatization in transition economies.
The projects can be international or domestic in nature, and may include such topics as tax policy, public health, crime and incarceration, and labor markets.