Michael David Thomas, PhD

Department

Economics and Finance

Position

Associate Professor

Articles

• Journal of Private Enterprise
  Thomas, Michael D. and Nathan A. Miller , Experimental Public Policy, Discovery, and Behavioral Taxation.
  36(4), p. 1-20 2021
• Thomas, Michael D. and Diana W. Thomas, Process, Emergence, and the Asymmetries of Regulation: Wagnerian Political Economy 2021
• Emergence, Entanglement, and Political Economy
  Thomas, Diana W and Michael D. Thomas, The Fiscal Squeeze: Budgets Between Fiscal Illusion, Fiscal Commons, and the Tyranny of Experts
  38, p. 125-137 2020
• Public Choice
  "Behavioral Symmetry, Rent Seeking, and the Republic of Science" (with Diana W. Thomas"
  183, p. 443-459 2020
• Kyklos
  'Institutional Change and the Importance of Understanding Shared Mental Models' (With William F. Shughart and Diana W. Thomas) 2019
• Public Choice
  Reapplying Behavioral Symmetry: Public Choice and Choice Architecture.
  180(1-2), p. 11-25 2018
• Independent Review
  “The Rise of the Regulatory State: Institutional Entrepreneurship and the Decline of Markets for Blood" (with Diana W. Thomas).
  22(4), p. 485-506 2018
• Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy
  “Income-Expenditure Elasticities of Less Healthy Consumption Goods.” (with Adam J. Hoffer, Rejeana Gvillo, and William F. Shughart)
  14(1), p. 127-148 2017
• "Nebraska: Undermining Fiscal Discipline and ErodingFederalism" -- Published as a Mercatus workingpaper 2017
• Regressive Effects: Causes and Consequences of Selective Consumption Taxation”  with Adam Hoffer, Rejeana Gvillo, and Willam F. Shughart), Published as a Mercatus working paper 2015
• Independent Review
  'Sin Taxes and Sindustry Revenue, Paternalism, and Political Interest' (with Adam J. Hoffer and William F. Shughart)
  19(1), p. 47-64 2014
• "Effects of Natural Gas Vehicles and Fuel Prices on Key Transportation Economics Metrics" (with Kevin Heaslip, Ryan Bosworth, Ryan Barnes, Ali Soltani Sobh, and Ziqi Song) Published as a WSDOT Research Report, Washing State Department of Transportation 2014
• Kyklos
  “Rational Irrationality and the Political Process of Repeal: The Women's Organization forNational Prohibition Reform and the 21st Amendment” (with Diana W. Thomas and Nick A. Snow)
  66(1), p. 130-152 2014
• Review of Austrian Economics
  "Entrepreneurship: Catallactic and Constitutional Perspectives" (With Diana W. Thomas)
  27(1), p. 11-22 2013
• Journal of Town and City Management
  “Technological Change and the Lowest Common Denominator Problem: An Analysisof Oregon's VMT tax experiment” (with Kevin Heaslip)
  2(2), p. 177-186 2013
• Journal of Private Enterprise
  "Encouraging a Productive Research Agenda: Peter Boettke and the Devil's Test" (with Diana W. Thomas)
  26(1), p. 103-115 2010
• Cosmos + Taxis
  "Alcohol Prohibition in the Beehive: How the Word of Wisdom Became a Commandment" (with Diana W. Thomas)

Publications

• "The Roots of Nebraska’s ‘Fiscal Squeeze’” Editorial. Lincoln Journal-Star 2017
• "All Taxes Start as Good Intentions, But Don't End that Way" (with William Shughart). Editorial. Inside Sources  2015
• “Building Community in Ferguson,” Editorial, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2014
• "Big Brother Declares War on Consumption" (with William F. Shughart and Adam J. Hoffer). Editorial. USA Today 2013
• "Sin Tax's Cost Outweighs Benefits" (with William F. Shughart and Adam J. Hoffer). Editorial. US News and World Report 2013

Editing and Reviews

• Public Choice
  Thomas, Michael D. , Donald J. Boudreaux and Roger Meiners (eds), The Legacy of Bruce Yandle. Arlington, VA: Mercatus center, 2020. xviii+270 pages. USD 19.95 (paperback)
  190, p. 247-250 2021
• Journal of The History of Economic Thought
  Thomas, Michael D. , Vernon L. Smith and Bart J. Wilson, Humanomics: Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations for the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society (Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2019), pp. 215, $28.99 (paperback). ISBN: 9781108185561.
  43(1), p. 159-161 2021
• Independent Review
  "Markets against Modernity: Ecological Irrationality, Public and Private." 2020
• Independent Review
  “Mark A. Zupan: Inside Job: How Government Insiders Subvert the Public Interest” 
  22(4), p. 634-637 2018
• The Review of Austrian Economics
  "Harry G. Frankfurt: On Inequality.” 2017
• Public Choice
  "Cass R. Sunstein: The ethics of influence: government in the age of behavioral science"
  171 (3-4), p. 429-432 2017
• Public Choice
  "Wayne A. Leighton and Edward J. Lopez: Madmen, Intellectuals, and Academic Scribblers: The Economic Engine of Political Change" 
  159(1), p. 313-315 2013
• Journal of The History of Economic Thought
  "Humanomics: Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations for the Twenty-First Century" by Vermon Smith and Bart Wilson

Presentations

• "Economics and the Enlightenment", Europe and Liberty Seminar, Institute for Economic Studies, at the Friedrich Neumann Foundation für die Freiheit, Gummersbach, DE 2017
• "Socratic Instruction and Undergraduate Reading Groups" Association of Private Enterprise Education, Lahaina, HI -- Panel Discussion and Presentation 2017
• "The Paternalism of Taxing Disfavored Goods" Association of Private Enterprise Education, Lahaina, HI -- Paper Presentation 2017
• "Circumscribed Justice: The Limits of the New Paternalism" Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Society, New Orleans, LA -- Paper Presentation 2017
• "The Problems in Voting after Rational Irrationality" Southern Economic Association, Washington, DC -- Paper Presentation 2016
• "Cutting the Epistemic Knot: The Mysticism of Modern Paternalism" Southern Economic Association, Washington, DC -- Paper Presentation 2016
• "Taxes as Country Club Dues" University of Washington, Seattle, WA -- Paper Presentation 2016
• "Nebraska: Undermining Fiscal Discipline and Eroding Federalism" Southern EconomicAssociation Meetings, New Orleans, LA -- Paper Presentation 2015
• "Regressive Effects: Causes and Consequences of Selective Consumption Taxation"Association of Private Enterprise Association, Cancún, MX -- Paper Presentation 2015
• "Critiques of Behavioral Economics" Southern Economic Association, Atlanta, GA -- Paper Presentation 2014

Awards

• Cahill Award for Excellence, Heider College of Business Dean's Office , 2018
  For contributing to the legacy of the college of business by recruiting the largest class of incoming Heider Fellows.
  Heider College of Business Dean's Office
• Cahill Award for Excellence, Heider College of Business Dean's Office , 2019
  For contributing to the legacy of the college of business by establishing the first Faculty Led Program to Vienna, spring 2019.
  Heider College of Business Dean's Office
• Cahill Award for Excellence
  For contributing to the legacy of the college of business by helping to lead a new program, Business Research Fellows.
  Heider College of Business Dean's Office