Public Economics
Public economics looks at how government can improve social welfare. More specifically, public economists study how the government interacts with markets, particularly with respect to market failures, when the provision of goods and services are inefficiently or inequitably provided by markets alone. Researchers in this field evaluate the effects of legal and regulatory policy, including taxation and spending, often focusing on the markets for healthcare, labor, and education. Our faculty are currently working on research related to firm and consumer behavioral responses to regulation; poverty; race, ethnicity, and gender disparities; substance use disorders; safety net healthcare; and social insurance. In addition to being highly research-active, our faculty have earned multiple teaching awards and represent the university in a variety of campus leadership roles. We also offer a field-specific graduate funding opportunities through the Gerald Boyle Award (link). The UNM Public Economics faculty is diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity, and welcome students from all backgrounds.
Our graduates place in academia, government, and the private sector with recent placements at Tulane University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Auckland University, the United States Food and Drug Administration, Anthem, and Deloitte.
Our faculty have received funding from a wide range of sources, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Economics Association, American Academy of Neurology, Social Security Administration, Robert Wood John Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, McCune Charitable Foundation, Brindle Foundation, Dialysis Clinic, Inc. Reserve Fund Program, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Bureau of Economic Research, and a several State of New Mexico agencies, such as the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, Children, Youth and Families Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.Public Economics Faculty
Melissa Binder, PhD, Columbia University
Philip Ganderton, PhD, UC Santa Barbara
Brady Horn, PhD, Washington State University
Xiaoxue Li, PhD, Syracuse University
Richard Santos, PhD, Michigan State University
Sarah Stith, PhD, University of Michigan
David van der Goes, PhD, Lehigh University
