What We Offer
SC EPIC hosts multiple conferences, round tables and happy hours each year.
SC EPIC economists have combined decades of experience doing program evaluation in the areas of healthcare, education, childcare, taxation, and more. Please contact us if you are interested in program evaluation support.
We offer executive training in data analytics, cost-benefit analysis, program evaluation, and other areas of economics. Contact us to inquire about a tailored training program for your team.
Leadership
Dr. Orgül Demet Öztürk holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Economics at Koç University in Istanbul.
Her research focuses on labor economics, public policy, health, and education, with publications covering everything from food stamps and free lunch programs to employment, wages, and theeffects of computerized testing. She’s also contributed to The Conversation, mainly on foodstamp policy changes, and has been cited by The Wall Street Journal and NPR.
Born in Antalya, a beautiful city on the Turkish Riviera, she’s passionate about Mediterranean cuisine—cooking, sharing, and especially baking Turkish pastries. She’s a binge reader of historical fiction (think WWII and 1800s England, for reasons she’s not quite sure of) and science fiction. Nature is her refuge and therapy, but she also loves the energy of bustling cities, discovering new places and different cultures. Dr. Öztürk leads a study abroad program to New Zealand and loves to travel whenever she can with her husband, John, daughter, Havva and son, Werner.
Dr. Brown holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University. Her primary research interests center on public economics, labor economics, and the economics of childcare. Dr. Brown's publications and working papers have included work on childcare and the business cycle, temporary disability insurance, and the consequences of public pre-kindergarten on the childcare market.
Dr. DeBacker holds a B.B.A. in MIS from the University of Georgia and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His primary research focuses on public finance, firm dynamics, and political economy.
Publications have included work on the impact of tax cuts, tax audits, and the dynamics of American political parties. Other professional experience of Dr. DeBacker includes work as a consultant for The World Bank, a nonresident fellow at the Tax Policy Center, an economist for the American Enterprise Institute, and three years spent in the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Dr. DeBacker's work has been cited in leading publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Economist, Washington Post, NBC News, New York Times, MarketWatch, and The Hill, among others.
Dr. Hauk holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in California and a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His research interests span international trade, foreign direct investment, economic growth, and political economy, and his efforts in that area have earned him publications in journals such as The Journal of Economic Growth, Journal of Macroeconomics, and Economics and Politics. He was also, through a weird set of circumstances, published once in Economics of Education Review.
He enjoys sharing his knowledge with a wide audience and publishes frequently in public-facing outlets such as The Conversation. As a result, he has been interviewed by outlets ranging from Voice of America, Time Magazine, Bloomberg News, and ABC News (no, not that one–the one in Australia), as well as numerous local newspapers and television stations.
He is also currently the Faculty Director for the Moore School’s nationally ranked Professional MBA program, which educates students in South Carolina and further afield. When he is not engaged in academic pursuits, he spends time with his wife Eva and two sons. He also recreationally engages in medieval rapier fighting when he feels the need to intimidate others.
Dr. Watson holds a B.GS. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University. Her research interests include experimental economics, applied microeconomics, and economic education and pedagogy. Publications include work onprice reservations and prices in auctions, case-based decision-making, and economics education.
When not working Dr. Watson can usually be found engaging in various forms of geekery:r unning Dungeons & Dragons games or playing fantasy video games are the most common distractions.
Dr. Woodworth received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wichita State University. Her research is in health economics, with a focus on issues related to the hospital setting. As a part ofher post-doctoral training, she worked with physicians at the UC Davis Medical Center in California (doing research, not treating patients).
Dr. Woodworth's research uses quasi-experimental methods to understand the factors that affect patient outcomes. She has found that crowding in emergency rooms heightens patient mortality, racial discordance between physicians and patients can affect inpatient mortality, and "Baby-Friendly" hospital designations have done little to increase breastfeeding rates in South Carolina.
Within the Economics Department at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Woodworth serves on the Ph.D. Committee and advises a number of doctoral students. Off campus, Dr. Woodworth is involved in volunteer work at her church. She enjoys baking, pulling weeds, and is convinced that Mr. Bunky's Market is the best hidden gem in the greater-Columbia area.
Get Involved
SC EPIC offers many ways for students to get involved in public policy and economics. Interested students should reach out to us.
SC EPIC offers outstanding economics undergraduate students the opportunity to enrich their education with research and real-world data analytics projects. We connect our Econ Scholars with faculty doing research in a wide variety of areas, and with local businesses and state agencies in need of data analysis. This program is ideal for advanced undergraduates who plan to pursue a graduate degree or for those interested in honing their econometric skills for immediate use in the workforce.
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