Michael Sposi

Michael Sposi serves as Associate Professor of Economics and Director of Doctoral Studies at Southern Methodist University's Department of Economics. His academic leadership includes overseeing doctoral program development and curriculum design.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Economics, University of Iowa

Dr. Sposi's research bridges macroeconomics and international trade through innovative quantitative spatial modeling. His primary focus areas include global structural change patterns, demographic impacts on macroeconomics, U.S. tariff policy implications, global supply chain dynamics, and dynamic trade gains. Methodologically, he develops techniques to incorporate temporal dynamics into spatial economic models, creating novel frameworks for analyzing trade policy and structural transformation. His work frequently examines state-level heterogeneity in economic responses, particularly regarding tariff policies and demographic shifts.

His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent output in top-tier journals including Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of International Economics, and European Economic Review. Recent work analyzes strategic trade-offs in tariff policy design (2025), state-level consumption and wage responses to tariffs (2023), and demographic drivers of global imbalances (2022). The research exhibits strong methodological coherence through dynamic spatial modeling frameworks applied to trade policy, structural change, and demographic economics.

Dr. Sposi teaches International Macroeconomics at both undergraduate and graduate levels, connecting theoretical frameworks with contemporary policy challenges. His transition from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he provided economic analysis for FOMC meetings, informs his applied research approach. Current projects examine services trade expansion effects on global trade patterns and steel tariff impacts on U.S. economic resilience.