Scott Masten

Scott Masten is a Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He joined the faculty in 1984 after teaching at the University of Virginia. He holds the Louis and Myrtle Moskowitz Research Professorship (1998-99) and has leadership roles in organizations like the Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics. His education includes a PhD (1982) and MA (1979) from the University of Pennsylvania, and an AB (cum laude) from Dartmouth College (1977).

His research focuses on transaction cost economics, law, and organization, with emphasis on contracting, vertical integration, antitrust, and public utility regulation. Notable studies include analyses of 19th-century water utilities, contractual adaptation in long-term agreements, and governance of higher education.

He teaches courses on applied microeconomics, business transactions, and nonprofit enterprises at the Ross School and has cross-disciplinary roles at the University of Michigan Law School and the George Mason University Law & Economics Center. His awards include the Moskowitz Professorship, and he chairs editorial boards for journals like the Journal of Economics & Management Strategy.

His articles span transaction cost frameworks, legal-economics intersections, and institutional evolution, emphasizing empirical and theoretical contributions to organizational economics. He actively engages in policy debates on antitrust and higher education reform, reflecting his interdisciplinary impact.