Craig J. Richardson

Craig J. Richardson is the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University. He also was an AIER Visiting Research Fellow from 2005-2012.

He received his BA in economics  from Kenyon College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Where Have All the Workers Gone? Zoning and Its Unintended Consequences.

"Regulations such as the Endangered Species Act, wetlands regulations, and coastal zone management laws may have desirable end goals from one point of view, but invariably make housing more expensive."…

Where Have All the Workers Gone? Zoning and Its Unintended Consequences.

When Flying Is Freedom

"The freedom private pilots enjoy, pointing their aircraft in any direction the birds fly, is a testament to the potential for other markets to also operate in a similar manner,…

When Flying Is Freedom

A Revolution in Public Transportation From A Town You Wouldn’t Expect

"It’s taken more than a hundred years for low-density cities to recognize that public transportation works far better in a point-to-point model, using private-public partnerships." ~ Craig J. Richardson

A Revolution in Public Transportation From A Town You Wouldn’t Expect

Why “Disincentive Deserts” Matter Far More Than Benefits Cliffs

"Benefits cliffs certainly remain an important area of policy study, but we should pay more attention to creatively solving the problems of disincentive deserts, since they exist for such long…

Why “Disincentive Deserts” Matter Far More Than Benefits Cliffs

How Two Corn Cobs Upended A Foreign Aid Model in Zimbabwe

"It may not be the silver bullet to defeat food insecurity across Africa, but it shows that solutions to thorny problems can start with something as simple as two corn…

How Two Corn Cobs Upended A Foreign Aid Model in Zimbabwe

What Deeper Lessons Can We Learn From Southwest Airlines’ Meltdown?

"The lesson of Southwest Airlines’ debacle is not that it was 'dumb' or 'shortsighted.' Rather, it should make all of us think more deeply about the opportunity costs and benefits…

What Deeper Lessons Can We Learn From Southwest Airlines’ Meltdown?

Adam Smith’s Oft-Missed Lesson on Human Imagination

"Lessons around the division of labor that stop with Smith’s description of the multiple human tasks miss his largest lesson: it is the human imagination that is most responsible for…

Adam Smith’s Oft-Missed Lesson on Human Imagination