I do not separate my identity as a teacher from my identity as a scholar or member of society at large. As a teacher I am responsible for teaching the essence of the intelligible world to my students. But without any scholarship how would I know anything about this essence? Thus, without scholarship how could I teach? But my students are also part of the intelligible world. So, as I teach them, their responses also inform me. And this information helps me with my scholarship. Thus, there seems to be, for me at least, a conversation between teaching and scholarship that helps me become both a better teacher and a better scholar – and therefore understand the world better. Indeed, my ability to be a contributing member of society is improved with better understanding of the world’s elements. It is also a lot of fun! My scholarly activity reflects an eclectic intellectual curiosity centered around my interest in the role of information in decision making. My interest in the economics of information have led me to investigate areas as wide ranging as the role of information transmission in cartel stability, lying to a dentist, the unsuitability of racial profiling for detecting terrorists, the determination of identity, and the role of civilization in generating short sighted human decisions.
Conflict
Is Reform Inevitable In Iran? An Evolutionary Analysis (with Laura Razzolini and Dixon Josh), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2011)
A persistent, if somewhat violent, reformist movement in Iran has many observers believing that reform...
Predicting State Failure: A Classification Tree Approach (with Jim T. Bang and William F. Shughart II), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
We deviate from standard practice in the literature on state failure to use classification tree...
The Evolution of Revolution: Is Splintering Inevitable? (with Laura Razzolini), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
In this paper we model political change as a production process with different types of...
A Theory of Conflict As A Function of State Power: Cases Illustrating An Evolutionary Process (with Jim J. Hentz and Laura Razzolini), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
In this paper we develop a simple evolutionary model that analyzes the role of state...
On the Ethnic Origins of Terrorism (with William F. Shughart II), Defense and Peace Economics (2010)
Using the ITERATE dataset, we explore the origins of transnational terrorist activity in 118 countries...
Industrial Organization
Price Discrimination and Resale: A Classroom Experiment (with David Reilly, Christian Rojas, and et al), Journal of Economic Education (2008)
This paper presents a classroom experiment designed to illustrate key concepts of third-degree price discrimination....
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), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2007)
This paper studies the effect of asymmetric information about demand on cartel stability. In this...
Growth and Development
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...
Losing the Edge at the Final Frontier: A Relative Decline in Scientific Inputs and its Consequences (with Michael Reksulak), Applied Econometric and International Development (2007)
This paper proposes a model of scientific output utilizing a Cobb-Douglas production function. We employ...
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...
Teaching Economics
Price Discrimination and Resale: A Classroom Experiment (with David Reilly, Christian Rojas, and et al), Journal of Economic Education (2008)
This paper presents a classroom experiment designed to illustrate key concepts of third-degree price discrimination....
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...
Technology and Education
Losing the Edge at the Final Frontier: A Relative Decline in Scientific Inputs and its Consequences (with Michael Reksulak), Applied Econometric and International Development (2007)
This paper proposes a model of scientific output utilizing a Cobb-Douglas production function. We employ...
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), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (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...
Evolution and Economics
Is Reform Inevitable In Iran? An Evolutionary Analysis (with Laura Razzolini and Dixon Josh), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2011)
A persistent, if somewhat violent, reformist movement in Iran has many observers believing that reform...
The Evolution of Revolution: Is Splintering Inevitable? (with Laura Razzolini), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
In this paper we model political change as a production process with different types of...
Institutional Change In Credit Markets: Do Good Rules Drive Good Bankers Out? (with Samuel K. Allen and Troy J. Siemers), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
We model an assurance game played within a population of bankers. Any banker could belong...
A Theory of Conflict As A Function of State Power: Cases Illustrating An Evolutionary Process (with Jim J. Hentz and Laura Razzolini), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
In this paper we develop a simple evolutionary model that analyzes the role of state...
Civilization and the Evolution of Short Sighted Agents (with Troy Siemers and Sam Allen), Virginia Economics Journal (2010)
We model an assurance game played within a population with two types of individuals --...
Decision Analysis
A Decision Analysis Approach To Solving the Signaling Game (with Barry Cobb), Decision Analysis (2009)
Decision analysis has traditionally been applied to choices under uncertainty involving a single decision maker....
Constitutional Law
Is Reform Inevitable In Iran? An Evolutionary Analysis (with Laura Razzolini and Dixon Josh), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2011)
A persistent, if somewhat violent, reformist movement in Iran has many observers believing that reform...
Checks and Balances at the OK Corral: (with Michael Reksulak and William F. Shughart), Constitutional Mythologies: New Perspectives on Controlling the State (2010)
The second amendment of the US constitution is often interpreted by lawyers as a way...
International Trade
The Truth About Outsourcing, Virginia Viewpoint (2005)
For businessmen, outsourcing is a tool used by one’s competitors in the global marketplace. For...
Legislative Processes
Predicting State Failure: A Classification Tree Approach (with Jim T. Bang and William F. Shughart II), VMI Economics Working Paper Series (2010)
We deviate from standard practice in the literature on state failure to use classification tree...
Reversal of Fortune: the politics and economics of the superconducting supercollider (with Paul Pecorino and William F. Shughart II), Public Choice (1999)
Congress approved the superconducting supercollider but later cut all funding after construction of the project...