August 6, 2020 -  Congratulations are due for Dr. Ben Rosa who has recently had a paper accepted for publication in the International Journal of Industrial Organization.  The paper, "Affirmative Action Subcontracting Regulations in Dynamic Procurement Auctions", examines the use of simulations to study the long-run effects of affirmative action policies requiring government contractors to use small or disadvantaged firms.  Over time, contractors may develop relationships with the smaller firms.  Dr. Rosa has found that when those relationships are long-lasting, affirmative action policies can have practically no long-run cost to the government, but the cost to the government is much higher when relationships are short-lived.  Dr, Rosa's results highlight the importance of fostering relationships to achieve affirmative action goals at the lowest cost.