Stephen Barnes

Dr. Stephen Barnes is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, affiliated with the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration and the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center. He serves as the Center's Director and as the independent economist on the Louisiana Revenue Estimating Conference.

• Education: PhD and MS in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin (2008, 2004), BS in Economics from LSU (2002).

Dr. Barnes' research spans public economics, labor economics, health economics, and environmental economics, with a focus on policy implications for Louisiana. His work addresses topics such as:

• Education-policy interactions and juvenile crime
• Environmental risk assessment and coastal economics
• Health insurance coverage and Medicaid
• Transportation safety and pandemic impacts

His publications reflect interdisciplinary collaboration with federal/state agencies and scholars across China, Louisiana, and other states. Notably, his recent work examines:

• Covid-19 lockdown effects on traffic accidents
• Flood risk mitigation strategies
• Medicaid coverage accuracy over time
• Coastal land loss economics

Dr. Barnes actively involves students in research projects at the Blanco Center, which focuses on applied policy research in areas like:

• Education and poverty
• Healthcare and environmental policy
• Governmental ethics and economic opportunity