Dean Stansel

Dean Stansel is a Research Associate Professor at the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom within the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from George Mason University, and a B.A. in Economics (with honors) and Politics from Wake Forest University.

Stansel's research centers on economic measurement and policy impacts, with primary interests in:

• Economic Freedom: Developing indices for regions and metropolitan areas
• Public Economics & Finance: Analyzing fiscal policies and government efficiency
• Urban Economics: Studying metropolitan development and regional dynamics

His recent publications (2019-2024) predominantly explore economic freedom indices and their correlations with labor policies, migration, food security, and institutional frameworks. These works utilize quantitative methods to assess policy effectiveness across U.S. metropolitan regions.