Economics Students and Professor Awarded Hatfield Prize from the Center for Public Justice
This school year, economics juniors Margot Kapic and Michael Mawhinney and Dr. Lance Wescher were awarded the Hatfield Prize from the Center for Public Justice (CPJ), a Christian think tank based in Washington, DC.
Each year, the Hatfield Prize is given to three Christian student-faculty pairs who execute a research project and write a policy report to be published by the Center for Public Justice. As part of the award, students receive $5,000 and faculty advisors receive $1,500 in prize money.
For the project, Michael, Margot, and Dr. Wescher studied church-based transitional housing, specifically in the context of unhoused people in Chattanooga. Their research questions include, “What opportunities and barriers exist for implementing a church-based transitional housing model using prefabricated shelters? How feasible and scalable is this approach, and what policy constraints or disparities affect its implementation?” The group flew to DC in January to meet with representatives from the organization before beginning to draft the report. This upcoming fall, the team will receive their awards and their report will be published by the CPJ.
Their research interest emerged from US Urban Poverty, a course that Margot and Michael took with Dr. Wescher. From there, it grew into an independent study project involving Chattanooga churches hosting 3D printed living structures. The group is exploring the feasibility of such collaborations as a part of a solution to systemic homelessness. The research involves facilitating the project, documenting what takes place, and communicating with the different groups and organizations involved. Margot reflected on the experience, stating, “This study has shown us that though there is an immense amount of support for the homeless in Chattanooga, demand dramatically outweighs supply. There is no way to ignore the many individuals who are unhoused across the city, yet the gap between noticing and neighboring remains wide. Our eyes have been opened to the overwhelming depth of this issue and how great an ask it is of churches to be agents of change. Walking alongside someone is no light task.”
According to Dr. Wescher, who chairs the Department of Economics and Poverty and Development, “I think this is a wonderful opportunity for students. It involves a wide array of participants and allows students to see something happen in the real world. Housing is a complicated issue that requires the participation of many different entities, all while people are in distress. You’re dealing with churches and church polity. You’re working with zoning and government officials. You’re working with a nonprofit organization and a for-profit company. I can say all of that in a classroom, but until you’re there and realize that one group can’t move forward until it hears from another group, and another group doesn’t have an incentive to move unless a different group responds, students begin to see the complexity of the situation. They begin to understand not only the roles that different institutions play, but also the process of facilitating collaboration among them.”
Covenant College is a Christ-centered liberal arts institution committed to providing an academically rigorous and biblically grounded education. To learn more about Covenant College, please visit covenant.edu.