Justin Hicks
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
University of the Pacific
Justin Hicks worked at ITIF from June 2012-February 2013 as a Senior Economic Analyst. Prior to joining ITIF, Justin Hicks finished his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of California, Merced. His research focused on potential spillovers of cooperative R&D in the international setting as well as the impact of funding on R&D productivity in universities. In his current research, he looks to identify the effect of trade policy on the flow of ideas and home-country R&D productivity. His primary expertise lies in using applied microeconometrics to identify causal relationships using large data-sets. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., Justin achieved a M.A. in economics and a B.A. in Business economics from the University of California, Riverside.
Research Areas
Recent Publications
Immigration Policy: Is the U.S. the International Champ, or Chump?
The United States faces a critical problem: an increasingly unskilled workforce. But what are we doing about it?
Spoons: For Eating From the Trough of Growth, or for Digging a Pointless Hole?
Rebuttal to Krugman's claims that innovation has lead to lower employment and lower wages.
Pharmaceutical Innovation and Longevity
Further evidence that debunks the myth that pharmaceutical companies aren't providing real value to the economy.
No More Growth? Let’s not be so Hasty: An Assessment of Robert J. Gordon’s Recent Working Paper
Robert J. Gordon’s latest no-growth forecast has received a lot of attention due to both the economic climate and its provocative nature.
R&D Tax Credits: They Work! Will Policy Maker’s Listen to the Evidence?
R&D Tax Credits do increase innovative activity.
R&D Tax Credits: They Work! Will Policymaker’s Listen to the Evidence?
As the U.S. slides further behind in the international race to lure more tech and manufacturing investment, there needs to be a bold move by policy makers to ensure the United States moves back to the top from its current position at 27th in R&D tax incentives.
Eroding Our Foundation: Sequestration, R&D, Innovation and U.S. Economic Growth
The Budget Control Act would be a hard hit to vital U.S. industries, competitiveness, and economic recovery.
Big Benefits from Big Pharma: Longevity and Real Welfare Growth
Pharmaceutical proliferation leads to longer, wealthier lives.
Prices Aren’t Everything, Especially When Markets Fail
A critique of the mainstream's take on the Fed's Bulletin on Family Finances '07-'10.
Prices Aren’t Everything, Especially when Markets Fail: A Critique of the Mainstream’s Take on the Fed’s Bulletin on Family Finances ‘07-‘10
The neoclassical economics myopic focus on price blinds them to what is happening in the real economy and as such, leads policy makers to miss key things going on in the economy.
Changing Models when the Current Model is “Broken”
When looking to spur economic recovery, a new model is the solution.
When Markets Fail, Do We All Lose? The Evidence Isn’t As Clear As Reported
Recent reports on the Federal Reserve's Family finance bulletin miss the point.
