I am interested in the economics of identity -- what are the incentives for choosing particular identities and what are the limitations of such an incentive structure particularly as it relates to conflict. I am also interested in the role of communication in industrial organization settings. Other issues that interest me include the notion of institutional change -- the causes and effects thereof. Needless to say teaching economics effectively interests me deeply as well.
Antitrust Law
A Control Theory Model of Pricing For a Firm Facing A Stochastic Environment – A Firm’s Dynamic Pricing Strategy When Faced With the Threat Of Antitrust Action (with Manak Gupta) (2007)
Asymmetric Information, Communication, and Cartel Instability (with John Conlon) (2007)
This paper studies the effect of asymmetric information about demand on cartel stability. In this...
Titan Agonistes: The Wealth Effects of the Standard Oil (N.J.) Case (with Michael Reksulak, Bill Shughart, and Bob Tollison), Research in Law and Economics (2004)
This paper explores the puzzling wealth effects of the Standard Oil (N.J.) case. Contrary to...
Conflict
Civilization and the Evolution of Short Sighted Agents (with Troy Siemers and Sam Allen), Working Paper (2008)
We model an assurance game played within a population with two types of individuals --...
Hiding in plain sight – using signals to detect terrorists (with Laura Razzolini), Public Choice (2007)
This paper studies the interaction between a governmental security agency, as the Transportation Security Agency,...
On the Ethnic Origins of Terrorism (with William F. Shughart II) (2007)
Using the ITERATE dataset, we explore the origins of transnational terrorist activity in 118 countries...
Reducing the Impact of Ethnic Tensions on Economic Growth – Economic or Political Institutions? (with Michael Reksulak and Geoffrey Parker) (2007)
We use a standard growth accounting model and show that ethnic tensions reduce per capita...
Evolution and Economics
Civilization and the Evolution of Short Sighted Agents (with Troy Siemers and Sam Allen), Working Paper (2008)
We model an assurance game played within a population with two types of individuals --...
Growth and Development
Losing the Edge at the Final Frontier: A Relative Decline in Scientific Inputs and its Consequences (with Michael Reksulak) (2008)
This paper proposes a model of scientific output utilizing a Cobb-Douglas production function. We employ...
Reducing the Impact of Ethnic Tensions on Economic Growth – Economic or Political Institutions? (with Michael Reksulak and Geoffrey Parker) (2007)
We use a standard growth accounting model and show that ethnic tensions reduce per capita...
US Aid or US Trade? – Relative Effect on Worldwide Human Development (with Tinni Sen), Proceedings of the International Business and Economics Research Conference (2006)
The effect of aid on economic growth is unclear. It may be more plausible to...
Human Resource Management
Are People Sometimes Too Honest? Increasing, Decreasing, and Negative Returns to Honesty (with John Conlon), Southern Economic Journal (2000)
We show that sender honesty can hurt receivers in simple signaling games. The receiver faces...
Industrial Organization
A Control Theory Model of Pricing For a Firm Facing A Stochastic Environment – A Firm’s Dynamic Pricing Strategy When Faced With the Threat Of Antitrust Action (with Manak Gupta) (2007)
Asymmetric Information, Communication, and Cartel Instability (with John Conlon) (2007)
This paper studies the effect of asymmetric information about demand on cartel stability. In this...
Teaching Economics
Price Discrimination and Resale: A Classroom Experiment (with David Reilly, Christian Rojas, and et al) (2008)
This paper presents a classroom experiment designed to illustrate key concepts of third-degree price discrimination....
Technology and Education
Losing the Edge at the Final Frontier: A Relative Decline in Scientific Inputs and its Consequences (with Michael Reksulak) (2008)
This paper proposes a model of scientific output utilizing a Cobb-Douglas production function. We employ...