Christopher Coyne
Christopher Coyne graduated from Manhattan College in 1999 before earning his MA and PhD in economics from George Mason University. While at Mason, Coyne studied with renowned economists such as Peter Boettke and Tyler Cowen. After earning his PhD, Coyne taught economics as an assistant professor at Hampden-Sydney College and West Virginia University. In 2010, Coyne returned to Mason as a full-time faculty member in the economics department.
Currently, Coyne is the F.A. Harper Professor of Economics at the Mercatus Center as well as the Associate Director of the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Coyne is also the North American editor of The Review of Austrian Economics and the book review editor for Public Choice. His numerous awards and honors include being named the Hayek Fellow at the London School of Economics in 2008.
Coyne has put his heart and soul into tackling the problem of promoting prosperity around the world. He believes the key is economic freedom. His writings emphasize the limits of government in creating wealth as well as the virtues of an unrestrained market grounded in private property rights. Coyne is the author of two landmark books on economics, After War: The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy (2007, Stanford University Press) and Media, Development and Institutional Change (co-authored with Peter Leeson, 2009, Edward Elgar Publishing). After War discusses the economic implications of militarization and state-building, while Media examines how the media influences economic policy--both helping and hindering economic reform and development.
Along with Rachel Mathers, he co-edited The Handbook on the Political Economy of War (2011, Edward Elgar Publishing). His next book, The Ability to Protect: The Limits of State-led Humanitarian Action, which will be published by Stanford University Press , builds on After War by using the tools of economics to analyze the ability and limits of government intervention intended to help those in need.
Coyne has authored numerous book chapters, policy studies, and academic articles that have appeared in journals including the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Public Choice, and The Review of Austrian Economics. Coyne’s relevant economic expertise has been referenced in dozens of news articles across the country, and he recently appeared on Fox Business News (Stossel, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” February 2, 2012) to discuss the government’s role in maintaining happy and prosperous citizens.
Despite his numerous extracurricular activities, Coyne still finds time to teach Austrian economics, an upper level undergraduate course at George Mason University. In the classroom, his charismatic personality and direct teaching style makes him a favorite among students as well as a frequent guest speaker at academic workshops and events.
Coyne enjoys using basic market principles to point people to what’s really important in life. This last February he wrote an article contesting the claim that Valentine’s Day was nothing more than a commercialized excuse to spend. “When it comes to February’s hearts and flowers,” Coyne writes, “the real economic lesson is that we ought to stay romantic about Valentine’s Day. It’s best understood as exactly what we’d like it to be-- an opportunity to find the gift that matters to that person you care so deeply about.”