James Griffin
Professor Emeritus and Bob Bullock Chair in Public Policy and Finance Emeritus
James M. Griffin is a Senior Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Bush School at Texas A&M University, where he holds the Bob Bullock Chair Emeritus title. His career at Texas A&M spans more than three decades. At the Bush School, he served as the founding director of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics & Public Policy. Prior to joining the Bush School in 2002, he held the Cullen Professorship in the Department of Economics at Texas A&M. Previous academic positions include the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Houston. He is a Humboldt Fellow and is included in Who’s Who in Economics. He serves on the Editorial Boards of three journals specializing in energy economics. He is also a Director in the Berkeley Research Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in economics and finance with offices worldwide.
His previous research focused on the interplay between energy markets and regulatory and environmental issues. He is author of five books as well as numerous articles in the leading economics journals. His 2009 Yale University Press book, A Smart Energy Policy: An Economist’s Rx for Balancing Cheap, Clean, and Secure Energy, makes the case for a carbon tax and the efficacy of using markets to transition to a cleaner environment.
Most recently his research interests have focused on ground and surface water issues in Texas. He has directed three separate capstone project for Bush School students analyzing (i) methods to incentivize the use of brackish (instead of fresh) groundwater for fracking (ii) alternatives to the current groundwater regulatory apparatus and (iii) the reform of surface water regulation. His students in the groundwater and surface water reports were both awarded the prestigious McGrew Prize for best research by students participating in masters programs in public policy and administration. Key elements of the groundwater study are found in “Interjecting Economics into the Groundwater Policy Dialogue” in a 2017 issue of the Texas Water Journal. In April 2018, he helped to organize an academic conference at the Bush School entitled Rethinking Texas Water Policy.
Recent Water Research
- Interjecting Economics into the Groundwater Policy Dialogue, Texas Water Journal, December 2017 Read Here.
- Texas Groundwater: Dispelling Some Common Misconceptions, The Takeaway, April 2018 Read Here.
- Surface Water Regulation in Texas: Problems and Solutions, 2017 Capstone Report Read Here.
- Surface Water Regulation in Texas: Problems and Solutions, 2017 Capstone Report Read here.
