ESP Biography



BRANDON CAMHI, Stanford Sophomore Studying Economics



Major: Economics

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2016

Picture of Brandon Camhi

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am a sophomore at Stanford studying economics. I am particularly interested in housing issues and monetary policy. On campus, I am the founder and Editor in Chief of the Undergraduate Economics Journal and I have previously interned in local government. I am from Oak Park, California, a small town in Southern California. I love working out, listening to music (particularly rap and hip hop), reading, and swimming. I hope someday to either go to law school, teach, or obtain a PhD in economics. I designed my Splash class to be intense and somewhat difficult, but I promise it will keep you engaged and challenge you, opening your eyes to a very real issue facing policymakers at all levels of government.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S3121: The Politics and Economics of Zoning Regulations in Splash! Fall 2013 (Nov. 02 - 03, 2013)
Chances are, few of you have heard of zoning laws: ordinances cities enact to regulate housing and other buildings. How many stories can a home have? How much space can it take up? Can single-family and multi-family homes be built near each other? Talking about these laws may not seem glamorous like many national issues that dominate headlines but, during our time together, we’re going to chat about very controversial laws that fundamentally transformed American cities during the 1900s. Do zoning regulations raise home prices? How does this impact low-income individuals in areas like healthcare and housing availability/quality? What political and economic incentives entice city governments to enact these laws? What is a city’s fundamental mission? Do the costs outweigh the benefits? Through interactive studies, a brief lecture, some light readings, a case study, and a lot of debate, we will discuss an issue that is extremely important to the United States. These laws may seem mundane, boring, but I promise you by the end of our time together, you will never look at housing and cities the same way. Students are not expected to know anything about zoning laws before class but please review the questions I have attached (no need to write down answers). Also, I have attached a document with a brief assignment that must be completed before we meet. It should take no more than 10-15 minutes and will prove very valuable when we meet.