Professor Whaples

Education: I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1983 with B.A.'s in Economics and History, and earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. My dissertation, "The Shortening of the American Work Week: An Economic and Historical Analysis," won the Allen Nevins Prize from the Economic History Association.
Research and Publications: I have edited two books. Historical Perspectives on the American Economy (with Dianne Betts, 1995) and Public Choice Interpretations of American Economic History (with Jac Heckelman and John Moorhouse, 1999). My early research focused on the history of labor markets, with emphasis on the length of the work week, aging, and discrimination. Several of my papers explore consensus among economic historians and economists, especially the widely-cited "Do Economists Agree on Anything?." A recent paper of mine argues that the U.S. Mint should stop producing pennies. My Modern Economic Issues course, 36 half hour lectures on issues ranging from inflation, unemployment, inequality, trade, global climate change and taxes to WalMart, Social Security, health care, baseball, obesity and immigration, is available from The Teaching Company.
EH.Net and Economic History: I am Book Review Editor for EH.Net, which provides electronic services for economic historians. I also edit EH.Net's Encyclopedia of Economic and Business History. Read my interview with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Region Focus about a range of Economic History issues. "Is Economic History a Neglected Field of Study?" contains my thoughts on the current state of the profession.
Teaching: I regularly teach Introduction to Economics, Current Economic Issues, American Economic Development, Economics of Entrepreneurship and a First Year Seminar on Entrepreneurs in American History. In 1999 the Economic History Association awarded me the Jonathan Hughes Prize for Excellence in Teaching Economic History. (Here is a copy of my acceptance comments.)
Family: My wife, Regina, and I are the parents of two sons and three daughters.
Other: I am chair of Wake Forest University's Department of Economics and coach of the Wake Forest quizbowl team.

Spring 2011 Courses:

Econ 150: Introduction to Economics
First Year Seminar: Entrepreneurs in American History

Robert Whaples

Professor of Economics

Wake Forest University

Spring 2011 Courses: