Economics & Business
On Faculty Since 1986
Phone: (805) 565-6782
Office Location: Deane Hall 111
Mon. & Wed., 2-4 p.m.
Labor Markets and Economic Justice, Macroeconomic Policy,
History of Economic Thought, Transition Economics
A curiosity about how questions about economics have been asked and answered from antiquity forward, particularly in the light of moral and theological values, drives my research. My particular interests include the economics of the ancient Mediterranean world, Christianity and economic thought, and the writings of the Scholastics, Protestant Reformers, and Adam Smith on questions surrounding labor markets, economic justice, usury, property rights, exchange and economic growth. In addition, I teach and write on modern financial markets, globalization, labor market regulation, and American economic history. I currently serve as both associate editor and book review editor of Faith and Economics and I’m active in the work of the Association of Christian Economists.
Economic Growth: Unleashing the Potential of Human Flouishing (with Stephen Smith and Bruce Webb). 2013. American Enterprise Institute.
Reckoning With Markets: Moral Reflection in Economics (with James Halteman) 2012. New York: Oxford University Press.
The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Christianity ( Paul Oslington, Editor) 2014. New York: Oxford University Press.
"Theonomy and Economic Institutions." in The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics, ed. Paul Oslington. (2014), 224-244.
“’Minding the Gap’ in Economics: The Contribution of Redeeming Economics.” Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology. (2013), 141-156.
Review of Bruce W. Longenecker, Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World. Journal of Markets & Morality. 14 (Fall 2011).
“A ‘Marketless World’? An Examination of Wealth and Exchange in the Gospels and First-Century Palestine.” Journal of Markets & Morality. 10 (Spring 2007): 85-114.
“Exchange and Property Rights in Light of Biblical Values.” Journal of Private Enterprise. 22 (2007): 71-94.
Review of Duncan Foley, Adam’s Fallacy: A Guide to Economic Theology. Journal of Markets & Morality. 10 (Fall 2007).
Review of Luigino Bruni, Civil Happiness: Economics and Human Flourishing in Historical Perspective. Economic History.Net. March 2007.
“Smith and a Living Wage: Competition, Compulsion, and the Scholastic Legacy.” History of Political Economy. 38 (Spring 2006): 151-174.
“Contract Theory, Distributive Justice, and the Hebrew Sabbatical Laws.” (with Kurt Schaefer) Faith and Economics. 45 (Spring 2005): 1-19.
“Poverty, Freedom and Economic Justice: The Need for an Extended Dialogue.” Faith and Economics. 44 (Fall 2004): 39-44.
“Delight, Danger, and Duty: The Good of Affluence and Current Research on Wealth in the Gospels.” Faith and Economics. 40 (Fall 2002): 14-21.
“In Pursuit of the Just Wage: A Comparison of Reformation and Counter- Reformation Economic Thought.” Journal of the History of Economic Thought. 23 (2001): 467-489.
“Bargaining, Consent and the Just Wage in the Sources of Scholastic Economic Thought.” Journal of the History of Economic Thought. 20 (1998): 467-478.
"Adam Smith on Economic Justice in the Labor Market." Journal of the History of Economic Thought. 17 (1995): 228-246.
"Economic Regulation and the Late-Nineteenth Century Supreme Court: An Economic Interpretation of the Relation Between Police Powers and Substantive Due Process." The Social Science Journal. 30 (1993): 271-284.
"A Reformed Approach to Economics: Christian Reconstructionism." Association of Christian Economists Bulletin. 21 (Spring 1993): 6-20.
"Sir Edward Coke and Adam Smith on Occupational Regulation: Economic Efficiency, Justice and the Public Good." in Perspectives on the History of Economic Thought. Volume 1.ed.Donald A. Walker. Aldershot:Edward Elgar, 1989, pp. 19-37.
In my teaching, I seek to draw students into the subtleties of ‘an economic way of thinking’ about the complex challenges they face as part of the global economy. As we examine modern capitalism from many angles, how does economics help us understand its features? Where do we look for moral foundations for any economic system? I hope to bring students along in wrestling with the distinctive features of our economy in light of the insights of the great economists who have developed the discipline. I also wish to spur them to act as stewards in the light of the values of the Christian faith in the world of economics and business.
Outside of an academic life in economics, I enjoy spending time with my wife and family. My wife Nancy is an elementary school teacher. My daughter Mary Beth (’06) directs a reading specialist group at a public school in Santa Barbara and my son David is in graduate school at Columbia. In addition, my free time includes reading in the areas of biblical theology, late Medieval and Reformation church history, early American (revolutionary and constitutional) history, 20th-century Russian history, and the decision-making of the U.S. Supreme Court (all over the place, I know). My other passions include teaching Bible studies, traveling to Asia and Europe, hitting the beach, and playing tennis and basketball.
History of Economic Thought; Money, Banking and Financial Markets; The Modern Chinese Economy; Globalization; Intermediate Microeconomics; Comparative Economic Systems; International Trade and Finance; Emerging Asian Economies; Principles of Economics; American Economic History; Senior Seminar
CCCU Grant for research on Free Markets: “The Origins of Christian Thinking on Profits and Usury with Modern Applications.” 2013-14.
CCCU Grant for research on Free Markets: “The Moral Case for Growth in Economic and Theological Perspective.” 2011-12.
CCCU Grant for research on Free Markets: “Moral Reflections in the History of Economics.” 2008-09.
Outstanding Teacher Award (Social Sciences), Westmont College, 1997-1998.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
American Economics Association; History of Economics Society; Association of Christian Economists
Ph.D. Economics, Louisiana State University, 1989.
M.B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1980.
B.A.Economics, (with Honors), Texas Tech University, 1976.