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 Other Knowledge Problem: Public Choice and the Marvels of Modern Medicine Shut Down the World


Authors: M Gulker, PW Magness

Publication: Cosmos+ Taxis 9 (5-6), 29-39, 2021

Title: A Comment on’Modeling COVID-19 Scenarios for the United States’


Authors: P Magness

Publication: Available at SSRN 3725716, 2020

Title: Divided government and the bias against presidential restraint


Authors: F Garmon Jr, V Geloso, P Magness

Publication: The Social Science Journal, 1-18, 2020

Title: John Maynard Keynes, HG Wells, and a problematic utopia


Authors: PW Magness, JR Harrigan

Publication: History of Political Economy 52 (2), 211-238, 2020

Title: NEW RESEARCH AVENUES IN THE FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE LATE ANTEBELLUM AND CIVIL WAR ERA


Authors: PW Magness

Publication: A Companion to US Foreign Relations: Colonial Era to the Present, 173-195, 2020

Title: Phil Magness: COVID-19 Interview


Authors: P Magness

Publication: Salem Center, 2020