When Kristen Tullos, a sophomore from Valdosta, started researching Jimmy Carter’s economic policy, she only knew the basics: that the economy was suffering from unprecedented high price inflation, slow growth and high unemployment.
But in delving deeper into history, Tullos, an international affairs and economics major, learned more: that Carter had limited power in changing the economic climate, that the Democratic Congress was slow to realize that the Keynesian model of the 1960s was long gone, and that Carter’s tight money policy ultimately brought stability to the country.
And she learned that the problems Carter faced still plague the U.S.
“Today, America is facing one of the main economic problems burdening the Carter administration—falling productivity—that contributed to the economic malaise of the time period,” she said.
Tullos is one of 26 students who will have the opportunity to offer policy recommendations of their own during “The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century” conference.
Organized by the Honors Program, the students researched Carter’s approach to economics, the environment and energy, the Middle East, Islamic radicalism, nuclear nonproliferation and human rights.
They were guided by Steve Elliott-Gower, Honors Program associate director, as well as professors specializing in the various policy areas: economics professor Bill Lastrapes; ecology professor Ron Carroll; Jim Holmes, a senior research associate at the Center for International Trade and Security; Amy Ross, assistant professor of geography; and Mia Bloom and Sherry Lowrance, both assistant professors of international affairs.
“When I first heard about our possible involvement, I was excited because it is an opportunity well suited for students already interested in policy,” said Tullos.
There was just one hurdle for the students to face in their research.
“The students are too young to remember Reagan clearly, let alone Carter,” said Holmes. “To help them work around that problem, Steve (Elliott-Gower) organized a trip to the Carter Library so they could look at primary documents.”
Ross noted that her students have been enthusiastic in their research.
“My team of students is focusing on Carter’s impact in the area of human rights, and since President Carter has such a powerful contemporary presence as a humanitarian, the students have enjoyed tracing his ideological development,” she said.
Carroll said his students learned of a president bent on using renewable energy sources to wean the country from foreign oil.
As for Tullos, there is another side benefit for her research, besides the honor of being included in the conference or learning more about economic policy-making: seeing the former president in person.
“I admire Jimmy Carter very much, and I look forward to meeting him,” she said. |
