Phillip W. Magness works at the Independent Institute. He was formerly the Senior Research Faculty and F.A. Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research. He holds a PhD and MPP from George Mason University’s School of Public Policy, and a BA from the University of St. Thomas (Houston). Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Magness spent over a decade teaching public policy, economics, and international trade at institutions including American University, George Mason University, and Berry College. Magness’s work encompasses the economic history of the United States and Atlantic world, with specializations in the economic dimensions of slavery and racial discrimination, the history of taxation, and measurements of economic inequality over time. He also maintains an active research interest in higher education policy and the history of economic thought. His work has appeared in scholarly outlets including the Journal of Political Economy, the Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry, and the Journal of Business Ethics. In addition to his scholarship, Magness’s popular writings have appeared in numerous venues including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Politico, Reason, National Review, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.




Research Publications by Phillip W. Magness

Title: The Bias Against Presidential Restraint


Authors: F Garmon Jr, V Geloso, P Magness

Publication: Available at SSRN 3309604, 2019

Title: The New History of Capitalism Has a ‘Whiteness’ Problem


Authors: PW Magness

Publication: American Institute for Economic Research, 2019

Title: The Pinochet Slur Against Free Market Scholars. May 14


Authors: PW Magness

Publication: American Institute for Economic Research (Great Barrington, Mass.). Link, 2019

Title: Trends in Income Inequality in the Interwar United States: Testing Reliability with State Income Tax Data


Authors: V Geloso, P Magness

Publication: Available at SSRN 2968587, 2019

Title: What Does ‘Neoliberalism’Really Mean


Authors: PW Magness

Publication: Reason, 2019

Title: A paradox of secessionism: The political economy of slave enforcement and the union


Authors: PW Magness

Publication: Public Choice Analyses of American Economic History: Volume 1, 53-68, 2018