Alex Tabarrok

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Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics, Mercatus Center at George Mason UniversityProfessor of Economics, George Mason University
Alex Tabarrok is the Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a professor of economics at George Mason University. He has written extensively about health care policy, patent-system reform, the effectiveness of bounty hunters, how judicial elections bias judges, and how local poverty rates impact trial decisions by juries. He has also written about methods for increasing the supply of human organs for transplant, the regulation of pharmaceuticals by the FDA, and voting systems. During the pandemic, Tabarrok was an advisor to the US government on using incentives to accelerate vaccine production. Tabarrok's papers have appeared in Science, The Journal of Human Resources, The Journal of Law and Economics, the Journal of Health Economics, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and many other journals.
Tabarrok is the coauthor, with Mercatus colleague Tyler Cowen, of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution and cofounder of the online educational platform Marginal Revolution University. He is the coauthor of Modern Principles of Economics and his popular articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and many other prestigious publications.
For a current list of publications, see Alex's Google Scholar page and his personal website.
Latest Work
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The economic way of thinking in a pandemic
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
We’re Looking at Inequality All Wrong – Just Ask the NFL | Barron's
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Unpacking the Decline of US Economic Dynamism | World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Signaling Quality: How Refund Bonuses Can Overcome Information Asymmetries in Crowdfunding
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Targeted randomization dose optimization trials enable fractional dosing of scarce drugs
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
A Test of the Coase Conjecture Using Prices of Online Books
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Building networks: Investigating the quid pro quo between local politicians & developers
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
‘Random Acts of Medicine’ Review: Paging Dr. Chance | The Wall Street Journal
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Congress Should Support a New Strategy for Approving Lifesaving Drugs | The Hill
Latest Work
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The economic way of thinking in a pandemic
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
We’re Looking at Inequality All Wrong – Just Ask the NFL | Barron's
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Unpacking the Decline of US Economic Dynamism | World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Signaling Quality: How Refund Bonuses Can Overcome Information Asymmetries in Crowdfunding
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Targeted randomization dose optimization trials enable fractional dosing of scarce drugs
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
A Test of the Coase Conjecture Using Prices of Online Books
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Building networks: Investigating the quid pro quo between local politicians & developers
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
‘Random Acts of Medicine’ Review: Paging Dr. Chance | The Wall Street Journal
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Congress Should Support a New Strategy for Approving Lifesaving Drugs | The Hill
Latest Work
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Books Books
Why Are the Prices So Damn High?

- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Occupational Licensing Causes a Wage Premium: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Colorado's Funeral Services Industry
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
James Buchanan as Intellectual Entrepreneur
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Public Choice Perspectives on Intellectual Property
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Designing Private Cities, Open to All
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Lessons from Gurgaon, India's Private City
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Public Choice and Bloomington School Perspectives on Intellectual Property
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Private Education in India: A Novel Test of Cream Skimming
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Product Liability and Moral Hazard: Evidence from General Aviation
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Fugitives, Outlaws, and the Lessons of Safe Surrender
Latest Work
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Alex Tabarrok on The Dan Proft Show - COVID Vaccine
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Alex Tabarrok on COVID-19 Response Efforts, Proposals for Continued Recovery, and Lessons for the Future

- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Alex Tabarrok on the Elements of Economic Growth and the Decline of Dynamism

- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Alex Tabarrok Talks to John Stossel on Fox Business
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Are We Waiting For?
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Case for a COVID Vaccine Lottery
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Vaccines Use Bizarre Stuff. We Need a Supply Chain Now.
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Alex Tabarrok on Higher-Ed Inflation: Productivity Hasn't Budged Since Socrates


- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Uber and Airbnb Won
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Matchmaker, Make Me a Market
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
In Memory of Ronald Coase (1910-2013)

- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Event Video Event Video
Alex Tabarrok on Innovation and Patents
