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Academic Research of Professor Brandl

Current Thoughts

U.S. Economic Policy - given the financial crisis that started in the summer of 2007, there is a need to rethink our economic policies, specifically those dealing with global financial markets.  The problem is that those who often think about economic policy do so from a partisan point of view.  While those who study financial markets often ignore the macroeconomic affects and effects of financial market disruptions.

Texas Economic Policy - the economic growth and labor economic literature have a great deal of insight to offer on the issue of state level economic growth.  Much of outcomes of this research is lost in the political debates over taxes, revenue sharing and spending priorities.  As we look to future we must ensure that state level policies are focused on creating long run economic growth.

Economic History - the empirical economic growth literature has reached an impasse.  Our panel data econometric research seems to suggest that everything matters in determining an economy's rate of economic growth.  Instead, growth economists need to study individual economic "case studies" to understand more clearly what, exactly, have been the contributors to economic growth.  I am specifically interested in the role of financial market and economic policy's role in economic growth and development in the US, South America and the Nordic Countries.

Current Working Papers

    U.S. Monetary Policy in the Face of Asymmetric Risks.

        - This paper was presented at the Pan American Finance Team Meeting at Pace University in May 2004.  It was part of a panel discussion on the convergence of monetary policy between in the NAFTA countries.  The main points of the paper is to credit monetary policy for the "Great Moderation" in the U.S. economy and to demonstrate that the current long term goal of U.S. monetary policy is to recreate the economic and financial conditions of the 1950's.  This version of the paper is still in draft form.

Some of my older research working paper can be found here.

Last updated November 26, 2007