Featured Student: Vasanth Subramanian
Vasanth Subramanian is a fourth year double major in political science and economics, who expects to graduate with his B.A. in June 2013. Advised by Professor Michael Dawson, his B.A. thesis is entitled "Cross-Border Provision of Network Public Goods." This research focuses on the provision of public services across jurisdiction boundaries, and specifically on what he terms "network public goods" – such as transportation and communications infrastructure – that become more valuable to each user as the total span of the network increases. Using a formal approach to compare costs and benefits of adding new areas to the network, his research suggests that when legislatures control the provision of these goods, they are likely to be overprovided because costs are spread over the whole jurisdiction while benefits are concentrated in areas receiving network service – whereas they would be provided optimally under a central planning structure.
During his time at the University of Chicago Subramanian has also been involved in various organizations on campus. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a third year student, and is also a member of the Maroon Key Society and a Student Marshal. During his summers, he was an intern in the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Blumenthal, and most recently completed a summer internship at the Boston Consulting Group. After graduating from the University of Chicago in June he plans to join the Boston Consulting Group's New York office as an Associate.
