Russell S. Sobel, Ph.D. Department of Economics Entrepreneurship Center P.O. Box 6025 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 (304) 293-7864  Russell.Sobel@mail.wvu.edu

**Most of my refereed publications can be found in PDF here.

**An MS Word short version of my bio is here, and a professional picture is here.

**My full academic vita can be found here.

Current Academic Positions
James Clark Coffman Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies, August 2005-present
Senior Research Advisor, Entrepreneurship Center, February 2006-present
Professor of Economics, August 2005-present

Previous Academic Positions
Director, Entrepreneurship Center, August 2002-February 2006
Associate Professor of Economics, August 2000-August 2005
Assistant Professor of Economics, August 1994-August 2000

Education
Ph.D., Economics, Florida State University, 1994
M.S., Economics, Florida State University, 1993
B.B.A., Economics, Francis Marion College, 1990

Areas of Expertise
Dr. Sobel specializes in public economics with a particular emphasis on public choice, entrepreneurship, natural disasters (FEMA), economic policy, and free-market philosophy.  He is also interested in state and local public finance, legislative behavior, international organizations, and constitutional economics. He regularly teaches courses in principles of microeconomics (ECON 201), principles of macroeconomics (ECON 202), economic issues (ECON 111), and public finance (both undergraduate ECON 441 and graduate ECON 742).

Professional Activities
Dr. Sobel's research has been published in many journals including the Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Law and Economics, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Southern Economic Journal, Public Choice, Journal of Business Venturing, National Tax Journal, and Public Budgeting and Finance. His edited volume on West Virginia policy reform entitled Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It has sold over 5,000 copies and been the subject of hundreds of media stories and public presentations including to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, and a joint session of the West Virginia Legislature's Finance Committee.  The book was named winner of the 2008 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, which honors think tank publications that have made the greatest contributions to the public understanding of a free society.  He also has a coauthored book entitled Growth and Variability in State Tax Revenue: An Anatomy of State Fiscal Crises.  Dr. Sobel is the faculty advisor for the Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity and is coauthor of a principles of economics textbook, Economics: Private and Public Choice.  He travels each summer giving lectures on the principles of economics for groups including U.S. Congressional Staff and West Virginia K-12 teachers through the WVU Division of Forestry, the Foundation for Economic Education, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE), Economic Thinking, and Liberty Fund.  He serves on the editorial board of the journal Public Choice.

Honors/Special Awards
Dr. Sobel's work on the Economics of FEMA received national attention in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, including articles in the New York Times and Washington Post, and appearances on the CBS Evening News, CNBC's "Closing Bell", and CSPAN (as well as a presentation to FEMA management).  His work on NASCAR safety was also carried by the Associated Press, NASCAR and many news outlets.  Dr. Sobel's research on Wal-Mart's impact on small business was featured on Fox TV news, US News and World Report, and in Regulation magazine.  He has received numerous teaching awards, including the 2006 Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association, the 2003 John R. Williams Outstanding Teacher Award from the WVU Honors Program, the June Harless WVU Teaching Award in 2000, and the WVU Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award in 1997. He was the 1996 College of Business and Economics Outstanding Teacher of the Year and is a two time recipient of the University Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching (1996 and 2001). Front page articles have been published in the Charleston Daily Mail, Daily Athenaeum (twice), and Dominion Post about his innovative use of walkie-talkies in large classrooms.  Dr. Sobel's research has been recognized with the 2007 Association of Private Enterprise Education Distinguished Scholar Award, the Templeton Award for Best Article of the Year for 2005 in the Journal of Private Enterprise, the 1996 Atlantic Economic Journal Best Article of the Year Award, and the College of Business and Economics Award for Outstanding Research (in both 1998 and 2002). He was named Outstanding Alumnus by the School of Business at Francis Marion University in 2002.  He was named winner of the WVU College of Business & Economics Outstanding Outreach and Service Award for 2008.  Dr. Sobel also serves on the advisory boards of four major professional and academic organizations (Institute for Research on Economics of Taxation, Academic Advisory Board; Center on Entrepreneurial Innovation, Independent Institute, Board of Advisors; Dobson Center for the Study of Markets & Entrepreneurship, Fraser Institute, Advisory Panel; Association for Private Enterprise Education, Executive Committee Board).  He is also on the Advisory Board for the Economics Department at Duquesne University and is a member of the Board of Scholars of the Center for the Study of Political Economy at Hampden-Sydney College.  In 2006, Dr. Sobel was recognized as one of the '100 Most Influential People' in West Virginia by the Dominion Post Newspaper.  He was elected to membership in the Mont Pelerin Society in 2006.  He serves as Senior Economist and Director of the Center for Economic Growth for The Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia (PPF).

Entrepreneurship Center Activities
Dr. Sobel served as Director of the WVU Entrepreneurship Center from October 2002 until February 2006 when he accepted his endowed chair position.  Under his leadership, the Entrepreneurship Center went from a conceptual idea into a half-million dollar per year operation that was almost entirely funded through grants and private donations. Among other things, as the Center's director, Dr. Sobel chaired or was involved in state entrepreneurship-related organizations and committees, developed key external contacts for the Center, initiated a student business plan competition, created a student incubator program with the Office of Technology Transfer, placed interns with startup companies, and created a new minor in entrepreneurship at WVU.  He now serves as Senior Research Advisor to the Center, focusing on the link between entrepreneurial activity and economic freedom (secure property rights, low taxes and regulations, and small government).