Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the school of management at the University of Michigan-Flint.  He has also been a visiting scholar at The American Enterprise Institute since 2009. 

Perry holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University in Washington, D.C., and was awarded the William Snavely Award for the top graduating doctoral student in economics. In addition, he holds an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Perry's primary academic research is in the area of applied economics and he has published numerous scholarly articles in economics and finance journals, including the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Monetary Economics, the Journal of International Money and Finance, the Journal of Applied Econometrics, Contemporary Economic Policy and the Journal of Research in Finance. He has presented research papers on a regular basis at national economics and finance conferences, including the American Economic Association, the Southern Economics Association and the Midwest Finance Association.

In addition to scholarly research, Perry enjoys writing guest editorials for a general audience on current economic issues. Perry's opinion pieces have been very popular and have appeared in more than 20 newspapers around the state of Michigan, including The Detroit News, The Flint Journal and the Lansing State Journal. In addition, Perry has appeared on various radio and TV programs to discuss economic issues. The local and national press have frequently relied on Perry's economic expertise, and he has been quoted extensively in local and national newspapers, including The Flint Journal, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily. Perry has often been invited to speak on economic issues to local business groups, including the Flint Rotary Club, the Grand Blanc Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce and local banks.

By Dr. Mark J. Perry

Gas Prices Are Complex, but Not Mysterious

Mackinac scholar explains the origins of gas prices. … more

Good News About the Bad Economy

Labor Gains

American workers have achieved a gold-medal year. … more

Jobs Outsourcing: Beneficial Trade by Another Name

Outsourcing greatly lowers our cost of consumption, raises our standard of living tremendously and directly supports many jobs. … more

Consumer, Not Corporate, "Greed" Is Ultimately Behind Layoffs

A business writer at one of Michigan's largest daily newspapers recently denounced corporations, blasting layoffs by "heartless" businesspeople who apparently relish giving out pink slips. But corporations do not act in a vacuum: they are merely responding to the demands of consumers, who by buying or not buying certain products determine which corporations stay in business and which fail. … more

It's Time to Give Overtaxed Americans a Break

Taxpayers might make louder demands for relief if they understood that as a percentage of total national income, federal taxes are higher than at any other time in U.S. history. … more

Cost of Government Goes Up While Costs of Living Go Down

Government taxes, spending, and regulation gobble up roughly half of the average American's earnings. Lawmakers must work to rein in Leviathan's out-of-control growth. … more

Intuition and Good Intentions Are Not Enough to Help Disadvantaged Workers

As counterintuitive as it may seem, the minimum wage harms the very workers whom we want to help-unskilled, inexperienced teenage workers and disadvantaged minorities. … more

Trying to Define a Foreign-Made Car Will Drive You Crazy

The UAW and other unions routinely urge Michiganians to "buy American," but the growth of the global economy has forever blurred the lines between "foreign made" autos and those "made in the USA." … more