Mercatus Center Flourishes Under Mason Alumnus
August 8, 2010
Renowned professor of economics talks to The Stylus
Tyler Cowen’s professional career developed and centered on his experiences at George Mason University. In 1983, Cowen achieved a B.S. from George Mason University in Economics. He then went to Harvard University for both his graduate and Ph.D. degrees, also in Economics.
He worked until 1989 as an assistant and associate professor of economics at the University of California, Irvine and then returned to Mason. In 1998, Mason Provost David Potter appointed Cowen as general director of both the Mercatus Center and the James M. Buchanan Center for Political Economy. In 2000, Dr. Cowen was named the Holbert C. Harris Chair of Economics. He also serves on the Mercatus Center’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Cowen has enjoyed the chance to help create an exciting intellectual environment at the Mercatus Center. “We have been at George Mason University for over 30 years and it has been a fruitful relationship,” said Cowen. The center largely focuses on economics, so its studies cover many areas in relation to law and public policy. According to its website, the Mercatus Center is “a university-based research center [that] works to advance knowledge about how markets work to improve our lives by training graduate students, conducting research and applying sound economics to offer solutions to society’s most pressing problems.”
The Mercatus Center’s information and research can be beneficial to students in many programs at George Mason University. In addition, students also have access to the information supplied by the research center, and the ability to apply for scholarship opportunities.
Recent Mercatus research has focused on Africa, which Cowen described as a “major issue” because of the continent’s high poverty levels. He would also agree with the idea that wealth and prosperity bring democracy.
Dr. Tyler Cowen Photo Courtesy of Dr. Tyler Cowen
Ryan Dunn, Stylus Correspondent
Bee tea dubs, Dr. Cowen and Dr. Alex Tabarrok,
another Mason Economics professor, have a popular blog.
Check it.
www.marginalrevolution.com