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First-year students Hayden Hiser and Cameron Davis analyze the link between labor productivity and federal spending at the University of Findlay’s annual research symposium
Elina Ivanova, IvanovaE@findlay.edu
University of Findlay freshmen Hayden Hiser and Cameron Davis took the stage at the 19th Annual Symposium for Scholarship & Creativity on Friday, April 4, to present their project, Labor Productivity and Government Expenditures. The symposium, which ran from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., celebrated student research across disciplines.
The Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity is an annual event that highlights student achievement through both awards and academic presentations. The morning is dedicated to university and college awards ceremonies, recognizing outstanding students across various fields
In the afternoon, students showcase their work during oral presentations and a poster session. This year, more than 50 students gave oral presentations, and nearly 100 students participated in the poster presentations, continuing a trend of strong and growing involvement compared to previous years.
Hiser and Davis’s work offered a thoughtful look into how changes in labor productivity may influence federal government spending. Their presentation drew attention for both its relevance and depth, especially given their academic backgrounds. Hiser, a finance major, and Davis, a pre-med student with a business minor, took on the project after being approached by their economics professor, Dr. Tuan Le.
“Dr. Le came to us because we performed really well in his class,” Davis said. “He suggested we do a group project for the symposium, and we basically just said, ‘Why not?’”
That question sparked a month-long research effort grounded in economic theory and national data. Using more than 250 quarterly observations from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database, Hiser and Davis examined how changes in nonfarm labor productivity correlated with shifts in government expenditures. Their models included Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, Vector Autoregression (VAR), and Dynamic-Factor Regression.
The hypothesis they tested was counterintuitive: rather than measuring how government spending affects productivity, they reversed the lens, asking whether higher labor productivity might encourage governments to spend more.
“The idea is that if firms are more productive, they’re more profitable, which means more taxes are paid and more wages are earned,” Hiser said. “More taxes increase the government’s available money to spend.”
Davis focused on developing the hypothesis and performing a literature review, pulling from sources to examine the historical connections between economic growth and different types of government spending.
“I learned a lot about economic models and what those numbers actually mean,” Davis said. “Some of the data was difficult to work with, and the literature wasn’t always fun to read, but we got through it.”
Still, both students credit the experience with expanding their academic interests and skillsets.
“We got about 95% of it done in the last month,” Hiser admitted. “It was crunch time, but we pulled it off.”
“I’m happy with my choice to go pre-med, but I’m also really glad I have a business minor,” Davis said. “This research helped me see how those interests can overlap.”
Dr. Le offered guidance throughout the process, assigning manageable steps each week and only stepping in when the students reached a roadblock.
“He let us do all the work until we hit a wall,” Davis said. “Then he helped us get through it, especially with converting our raw data into readable models.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the team also shaped their results.
“We both have different visions for what we want to do long term,” Hiser said. “This project was a happy medium where we met in the middle. It gave us a shared interest that we could each approach from our own perspective.”
Their conclusion found a strong, positive relationship between labor productivity and government spending, particularly when spending is directed toward productive areas like education, health care and infrastructure. The students suggested future research could examine this relationship across different countries and timeframes to improve policymaking in support of sustainable economic growth.
While the symposium is often seen as a platform for upperclassmen, Hiser and Davis proved that intellectual curiosity and commitment can stand out at any level.
“We learned a lot, and we’re proud of what we accomplished,” Hiser said. Davis agreed, adding, “This won’t be our last research project.”
