Benjamin Powell
Executive Director
Executive Director, 2019–
Professor of Economics, Rawls College of Business, 2013–
Director, 2013–2019
Benjamin Powell is the Executive Director of the Free Market Institute and Professor of Economics in the Area of Energy Commerce & Business Economics of the Rawls College of Business. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and taught at San Jose State University and Suffolk University prior to joining Texas Tech.
Ben is a Senior Fellow with the Independent Institute, Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern Economic Association, Secretary-Treasurer of The Association of Private Enterprise Education, and Treasurer of The Mont Pelerin Society.
Ben's research focuses on the economics of immigration and the economics of sweatshop labor and contributes to scholarly literatures in Austrian economics, public choice, and institutional economics. He has published more than 75 scholarly articles and policy studies.
He is the author of Out of Poverty: Sweatshops in the Global Economy (Cambridge University Press, 2014), co-author of Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World(with Robert Lawson) (Regnery Publishing, 2019) and Wretched Refuse? The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions (with Alex Nowrasteh) (Cambridge University Press, 2020). He is editor or co-editor of four other books including The Economics of Immigration: Market-Based Approaches, Social Science, and Public Policy (Oxford University Press, 2015) and Economic Freedom and Prosperity: The Origins and Maintenance of Liberalization (Routledge Foundations of the Market Economy, 2019).
Ben's research findings have been reported in hundreds of popular press outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He also writes frequently for the popular press. His popular writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Post, The Dallas Morning News and many other outlets. He has appeared on numerous radio, podcast, and television programs on networks including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Showtime. He was a regular guest commentator on Fox Business Network's Freedom Watch and Stossel.
Ben teaches an undergraduate course on Global Business Economics and Policy and a graduate course on Austrian Economics.
Recent Publications
Recent Op-Eds and Short Articles
May 9, 2022 — California rejects four-day work week, but supporters haven't given up — Washington Times
January 12, 2022 — Price Controls and Government Spending Won't Fix Inflation — Newsweek
December 6, 2021 — The omicron variant is another excuse for government meddling — The Hill
September 11, 2021 — Is COVID-induced hygiene theater the new security theater? — The Hill
August 23, 2021 — Bring the Afghans to America — The Hill
August 4, 2021 — Understanding the economics of immigration — Charles Koch Foundation
July 30, 2021 — What We Can Learn from the United States' Mostly Closed Borders — Cato Unbound
July 17, 2021 — How Mass Immigration Stopped American Socialism — Reason Magazine
July 15, 2021 — The best way to support Cuban protesters is ending the embargo — The Hill
July 12, 2021 — Would Immigrants Destroy our Freedoms? — Cato Unbound
June 9, 2021 — America needs private investment - not public infrastructure — The Hill
March 10, 2021 — The Reopening in Texas Follows the Science: Economic Science — Real Clear Markets
March 2, 2021 — Support Cuba's emerging market economy by ending the blockade — The Hill
January 26, 2021 — Biden's immigration reforms deserve conservatives' support — Washington Examiner
November 8, 2020 — For Better Health and a Stronger Economy, Don't Lock Down Again — National Review
September 24, 2020 — Re-fund, don't defund, the police — The Hill
July 29, 2020 — Economic recovery requires the government to stop what it's doing — The Hill
June 6, 2020 — US should invite Hong Kongers to America — The Hill
May 6, 2020 — Don't stop immigration, expand visas for healthcare workers — Washington Examiner
April 29, 2020 — United States Needs Freedom, Not Fascism — AIER Daily Economy News
April 18, 2020 — Governments Can't Plan Economy's Reopening — The Orange County Register
April 15, 2020 — The Key Indicator for Reopening the Economy Is Hospital Capacity — The Beacon
March 12, 2020 — Bernie Sanders should take a closer look at Cuba's lack of accomplishments — The Washington Times
February 23, 2020 — Time to end trade wars — The Seattle Times
January 13, 2020 — Democratic Socialism: Straight Talk About Twisted Facts — Corporate Learning Network
December 18, 2019 — Christmas tariffs for Santa — The Hill
November 12, 2019 — Those shaming Amazon about Bangladeshi factories should be ashamed of themselves — Washington Examiner
September 18, 2019 — China's Crackdown on Think Tank Illustrates Importance of Hong Kong Protests — The Epoch Times
Recent Radio and Podcast Interviews
June 21, 2021 — The Capitalist/Socialist Beer Index, with Benjamin Powell — The 12 (Southbank Investment Research)
February 26, 2021 — Ep. 183 Ben Powell Argues that Immigrants Don't Threaten Liberty — The Bob Murphy Show
June 19, 2020 — Ben Powell on Free Talk Live - National Debt 26T — Free Talk Live
May 27, 2020 — El Socialismo Apesta...y Siempre Fracasa (Socialism Sucks and Always Fails) — Econintech
May 6, 2020 — COVID-19 Edition: Episode 5 — FreeSpeak
April 22, 2020 — Ben Powell Says Governments Need to Liberate the Economy — The Chad Hasty Show — KFYO News/Talk 790 AM
October 9, 2019 — George Will to Appear at Texas Tech on Thursday — The Chad Hasty Show — KFYO News/Talk 790 AM
Recent Television Interviews and Appearances
July 22, 2021 — Wretched Refuse? FreedomFest Interviews 2021 — C-SPAN2 Book TV
February 9, 2021 — 5 Socialism Myths Part 2 — Stossel TV
February 2, 2021 — 5 Socialism Myths Part 1 — Stossel TV
June 16, 2020 — After Words with Dinesh D'Souza — C-SPAN2 Book TV
April 24, 2020 — CrossTalk on the Economy, Quarantine Edition: V, U, or L — RT News
September 3, 2019 — Economist argues that socialism ruins 'everything' — Kennedy
External Links
Personal Website – www.benjaminwpowell.com
SSRN Profile – Benjamin Powell
Contact
Email: benjamin.powell@ttu.edu
Phone: (806) 834-3097
Offices: 165 Administration
NW308 Rawls College of Business
Free Market Institute
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Address
Texas Tech University - Box 45059 - Lubbock, TX - 79409-5059 -
Phone
806.742.7138 -
Email
free.market@ttu.edu