UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1304 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1304

Submission ID: 21116

Submission UUID: 4289b6fd-0984-4846-9e7c-15292bbee16f

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=pWyS6kOiC-OLpa_HisbHQzgwDNgk2e53J3TlE_JBqjI

Created: Thu, 08/21/2025 - 12:32 PM

Completed: Thu, 08/21/2025 - 12:32 PM

Changed: Tue, 08/26/2025 - 10:21 AM

Remote IP address: 98.230.116.77

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Chris Gahagan

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When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Mr.

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) cgahagan@fsu.edu

Position Title Graduate Student

Faculty Advisor Name Quintin Beazer

Faculty Advisor's FSU Email qbeazer@fsu.edu

FSU College (if applicable) Social Sciences and Public Policy

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Political Science

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Additional Research Mentor(s)

Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) {Empty}

Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns {Empty}

Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? {Empty}

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) {Empty}

Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable) {Empty}

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Overall Project Details

Title of the Project We'll Shape Up Until You Ship Out: The Short Lived Effects of USMCA's Rapid-Response Mechanism on Informality in Mexico

Project Keywords Trade Agreements, Labor Rights, Informal Economy

Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes

Number of Research Assistants Needed 2

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Political Science, Economics, International Affairs

Project Location: On FSU Main Campus

If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? No, the project is remote

Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote

Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5-10

Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)

Overall Research Project Description The United States, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA) trade agreement has been hailed as a model for strong labor protections. In particular, the "first-of-its-kind United States-Mexico Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM), provides for monitoring and expedited enforcement of labor rights to ensure effective implementation of Mexico’s landmark labor reform at particular facilities." While in theory we would expect the RRM to increase workers' rights, to date there has been no empirical study of the effects of USMCA'S RRM on labor outcomes. Leveraging granular state-level economic data, in combination with variation in USMCA RRM events, I will be performing a matching and staggered treatment difference-in-differences analysis to investigate both the short-term and longer-term impacts of the USCMA RRM on a variety of economic outcomes.

Research Tasks literature review, data collection (anecdotal and statistical), legal/scholarly research on the USMCA trade agreement, Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (DSM), Spanish-to-English translations..

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Bilingual (advanced proficiency in English and Spanish).
Able to meet in person weekly or bi-weekly
Ability to use online searches (Google Scholar) and online databases (INEGI – National Institute of Statistics and Geography)

Recommended:
Completion of INR 2002 (Introduction to International Relations) or equivalent.
Some knowledge of Quantitative Methods is helpful
Good writing and communication skills
Knowledge of Zotero citation manager is helpful

Mentoring Philosophy My mentoring philosophy is grounded in giving you the experience to help you reach your goals. Much of the work on this project will directly translate to a variety of academic and professional settings, while also aiding you in understanding some of the quantitative political science research undertaken at FSU. This will be the third time I have served as a UROP mentor, with all of my previous students successfully completing their UROP classes and presenting at the Spring Symposium.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): www.chrisgahagan.com

Please add any additional information here (if applicable): {Empty}

Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? Yes

Roundtable times and Zoom links Tuesday September 2nd, 2-2:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94299979142 - Meeting ID: 942 9997 9142
Wednesday September 3rd, 2-2:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91312192520 Meeting ID: 913 1219 2520

Roundtable Info

Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 2:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94299979142
Day: Wednesday, September 3
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 2:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91312192520

UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

Faculty Advisor Confirmation Yes

Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series? No

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Year 2025

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