James Bryan, Ph. D.

Professor

Jim Bryan is Professor of Economics at the College where he joined the faculty in 1984. During his time at Manhattanville, he also has served for a decade in administration, as Provost & Dean of Faculty, as Associate Provost, and as Dean of Studies. Twice he has been voted Faculty Member of the Year by the Student Government of the College.

Prior to Manhattanville, Jim was on the economics faculty of Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, and taught while a graduate student at the University of Virginia. Jim's research interests lie primarily in the economic analysis of public policy, especially with respect to policies that attempt to reduce poverty. In recent years his focus has been on the analysis of the Basic Income Guarantee, a policy proposal that would ensure a minimum disposable income for every member of the population. He has published articles and a book chapter in this area, is Associate Editor of Basic Income Studies, a Berkeley electronic journal, and is co-editor of a book series on basic income, being published by Palgrave Macmillan. For several years, he was also Senior Economist, on a part-time basis, at the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies in White Plains, New York.

Finally, Jim has a strong but less developed research interest in identifying the elements of successful learning, especially as this understanding contains lessons for the improved learning and teaching of economics. He is attempting to design classroom research projects to test hypotheses about learning and teaching. His teaching focuses on microeconomics and applied micro electives -- electives in public policy, competitive strategy, and personal finance. In addition, Jim teaches a First-Year Seminar, with the theme To Be Human..., in which students explore selected elements of human nature.

Jim earned his PhD in economics at the University of Virginia and his bachelors in the General Program of Liberal Studies, a great books program, at the University of Notre Dame.