Alumni Spotlight: Dan Gibbs
In his “Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Gateway” course, Dan emphasizes a focus on institutions and on using terms carefully. He aims to teach his undergraduate students how to “develop a lens to see the world through” and then to refine that lens even further.
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From his first year as an Adam Smith Fellow in 2015-2016, Dan was exposed to ideas and opportunities not available elsewhere. He continued to engage with the Mercatus Center, building his connections with social scientists from a variety of traditions. Dan participated in the Adam Smith Fellowship three times, was a Don Lavoie Fellow during the fellowship’s inaugural year, and a James Buchanan Fellow in 2022.
“I don’t know any positive political scientist outside of the context of a faculty meeting who can talk to their theorist colleagues. I can talk to all the political philosophers and theorists [at Virginia Tech]…and speak in a common language of institutions and center practical ethics.”
During his second year in the Adam Smith Fellowship, Dan was invited to participate in the research sequence of the fellowship program, developing original research and writing on the work of F. A. Hayek. Reflecting on that experience, Dan notes how impactful the mentorship of Mercatus scholars was during those early years of his PhD program. The “careful guidance” from scholars and between peers as the fellows developed their papers for publication provided a “freedom to take [the process] seriously and learn” in a training environment that he did not find in his own PhD program. That procedural training in academic writing impacted Dan’s early research interests and research skills in a way he still finds “very, very valuable.” The paper he developed on Hayek, “F.A. Hayek and the Administrative State,” was published in the volume Exploring the Political Economy and Social Philosophy of F.A. Hayek in 2018.
Dan Gibbs now teaches as an Assistant Professor of Political Science and core faculty member of the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Virginia Tech, a position he credits in part to his political economy training in Mercatus Center fellowships. “The chapter on Hayek on my CV, most micro theorists don’t have that…I mean, on the professional side of things, having the PPE credentials from Mercatus was probably a nontrivial impact on me getting this job…people on the hiring committee told me as much.”
In addition to helping Dan find a job after completing his PhD, the training he received taught him a common language within political economy that speaks across niches and disciplines, and that continues to impact his network and teaching. Dan says that Mercatus alumni “can always tie our very discipline-specific focuses to a common language that we learned through Mercatus.” That “common language” now assists him in speaking to colleagues across disciplines and with no connection of their own to Mercatus. “I don’t know any positive political scientist outside of the context of a faculty meeting who can talk to their theorist colleagues. I can talk to all the political philosophers and theorists [at Virginia Tech]…and speak in a common language of institutions and center practical ethics.”
[It’s] networking where it doesn’t feel like networking. [It’s] an environment [where you have] great, interesting conversations that stick with you and help you grow intellectually.
Dan studies legislative politics and democratic voting strategy, utilizing both game theory and rational choice theory in his work. In his teaching, Dan also uses the interdisciplinary “common language” of political economy that he honed at Mercatus Center and applies the methodologies of the works he read to his own teaching pedagogy. As a core faculty member of the Virginia Tech’s Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Dan’s interdisciplinary approach helps him maintain an understanding with his students while still keeping the focus on political science. In his “Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Gateway” course, Dan emphasizes a focus on institutions and on using terms carefully. He aims to teach his undergraduate students how to “develop a lens to see the world through” and then to refine that lens even further.
When asked what advice he would give to prospective fellows, Dan emphasizes curiosity and humility as important mindsets to maintain in interdisciplinary spaces. To current fellows, Dan adds the importance of connecting and socializing with peers in the fellowships: “[It’s] networking where it doesn’t feel like networking. [It’s] an environment [where you have] great, interesting conversations that stick with you and help you grow intellectually.”
One of Dan’s favorite experiences as a fellow was his time in the James Buchanan Fellowship, where he found opportunities to approach topics of political economy as an active researcher and professor. After studying political economy as a PhD student, Dan was excited to be among colleagues who were, in his words, “in their own disciplines, moving the broad tradition of political economy forward.” For him, the Buchanan Fellowship was a continuation of education and training for him and his peers after completing their PhDs. That continuation required humility and those same common language skills. From his first year as an Adam Smith Fellow to his time as a James Buchanan Fellow and now as a professor who attends Mercatus events as a researcher and faculty member, Dan has built friendships and connections with colleagues that extend well beyond his niche as a political theorist and continue to positively impact him today.