Thomas Smith

Tom Smith is considered a specialist in the areas of labor economics, pricing, film finance, sports economics and finance, and the economics of the entertainment and health care industries. Described as a “jack of all trades and master of them all,” he’s one of Goizueta Business School’s most sought-after experts. Tom brings his research on micro- and macro-economics into the classroom; considered timely and insightful, his perspective has been published by local outlets and international publications alike, including Time. He regularly appears as a financial expert on television and radio – CNN, NPR, and The Huffington Post to name a few – and is frequently quoted in the press regarding trends in unemployment, inflation, trade, and economics-driven topics. An energetic and enthusiastic professor, Tom eschews narrow definitions of leadership. Through forging genuine connections with participants, Tom helps them expand their thinking and develop a more holistic approach to business that, in turn, enhances their approach to leadership and results in greater success.

Smith holds a PhD in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Areas of Expertise

• Cultural Economics
• Economics of the Arts
• Economics of Sports
• Economics of Religion
• Urban and Real Estate Economics
• Labor Economics
• Economic Education

PUBLICATIONS

• Moving Upstage: Economic Trends in the Nonprofit Theater Industry , National Endowment for the Arts (forthcoming).
• “Problem Based Learning in College Economics,” (with Jason Ravitz) Academic Exchange Quarterly, 12, no. 1 (Spring 2008).
• “Selection Models in the Music Industry: Comment,” Journal of Cultural Economics 31, no. 2 (June 2007).
• “The Impact of Government Grants on Nonprofit Arts Organizations,” Annals of Cooperative and Public Economics 78, no. 1 (March 2007): 136-160
• Occupational Attainment and Mobility of Hispanics in a Changing Economy , with M. Toussaint and L. Comeau, Pew Hispanic Center, December 2005.
• Raising the Barre: Demographic, Economic and Financial Trends in the Nonprofit Dance Field 1986-1999 , Research Division Report #44, National Endowment for the Arts, September 2003.
• “The Impact of NEA Grants on the Contributions to Nonprofit Dance Companies,” Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society 33, no. 2 (2003): 98-113.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND HONORS

• Teaching Award: University of Illinois-Chicago & Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, 2007
• Rookie of the Year Award, National Association of Economic Education, 2004
• Co-winner of the Oscar Miller Teaching Award for Best Economics Graduate Student Teacher, University of Illinois-Chicago, 1998
• Finalist: Lucent Technology Prize for ¿The Demand for Culture: A Human Capital Approach,¿ paper and presentation, Illinois Economic Association, Chicago, 1997

MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES

• Secretary/Treasurer, Association of Cultural Economics International, 2008
• Program Director, Association of Religion, Economics and Culture, 2007
• Trustee for Illinois Economic Association
• Manuscript referee: Journal of Cultural Economics; Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society; Review of Social Economy; Review of Religious Research

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Cultural Economics and Policy in Labor and Demography, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 1998
• Master's, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 1994
• Bachelor's, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL 1992