Abstract:  

Is there an Opioid business cycle? 

Political business cycles are common.  This occurs when political actors, before elections, stimulate the economy (or promise giveaways) to improve their prospects for re-election.  This research project will look at whether there is a political aspect to how state opioid deaths are reported and how it might tie to election cycles.  For example, during election years do we see opioid death trend lines different than in non-election years?   

The politicization of disease has been written about by authors e.g., Bose & Moran (2018), who show how funding is sought with disease outbreaks. Further similar politicization was seen for Covid-19, where different political parties reacted differently to it.  The opioid epidemic has been longer-lasting, and data is collected at the state level from the year 1999.  Are death rates politized by politicians to make it easier to win re-election?   

Biography: 

Dr. Bose is an economics and finance associate professor at Indiana University East. He received his Ph.D. in Economics, a Master of Science in Economics from George Mason University, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests include applied microeconomics, political economy, law and economics, and economics of religion.  His current research interests focus on opioid addiction treatments and the opportunity cost of sexual freedom.  Dr. Bose has published papers in numerous peer-reviewed journals and is a member of several professional organizations.