Michael J. Hicks
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Hicks is an economist
and columnist. He is currently the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research
and Associate Professor
of Economics
at Ball State University
..
, graduating with a B.A.
in economics
in 1984. Upon graduation he was commissioned an infantry officer in the United States Army
. He served on active duty with the 26th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Regiment
and Division Tactical and Assault Command Posts of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). He participated in Operation Bright Star
and served with the 24th Infantry Division in Desert Shield and Desert Storm
. He left active duty as a Captain in 1992 and served thereafter as a reserve officer, holding staff and command positions including Chief, Plans, US Army Japan, and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel. Brigadier General Mark Hicks, USAF is his brother.
Governor Bob Wise
(D) appointed Hicks to the Fund commission, where, after approval by the West Virginia State Senate he served from 2003-2006.
In 2002 Hicks testified in a court case in Boone County, West Virginia that would eventually culminate in one of the most celebrated recent cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In Caperton v. Massey Hicks' provided testimony regarding the economic conditions of mining in Appalachian during the 1990s and early 21st Century. This case became inspiration for the John Grisham Novel "The Appeal."
Burton and Hicks also provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change, regarding the fiscal and economic effects of mining restrictions. This committee meeting also featured an appearance by one of the Backstreet Boys which prompted several committee members to walk out of the hearing. Burton and Hicks also served as consultants to the National Academies of Science review of the economic consequences of the coal slurry spill in eastern Kentucky.
the study has been used by the Asian Development Bank and other groups to estimate regional damages.
wrote the forward to the book.
In 2011 Faulk and Hicks completed two studies on government consoidlation (local governments and school districts in New Jersey).
conference on Wal-Mart's impact which received significant national attention. These papers were later published, along with a book. Hicks' work has been frequently cited in the academic literature and by friends and foes of Wal-Mart alike.
In 2008 the Center for Business and Economic Research
at Ball State University
received the Association for University Business and Economic Research Award for its Manufacturing Scorecard. In 2009 the Center won a then-unprecedented three awards from AUBER for a research study, county profiles and promotional materials.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers
awarded Hicks the Commander's Award for Civilian Service
for his efforts in support of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Team (IPET) and Task Force Guardian, Task Force Hope and the New Orleans District following Hurricane Katrina
.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and columnist. He is currently the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research
Center for Business and Economic Research
The Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research , formerly the Bureau of Business Research, is an economic policy and forecasting research center housed within the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. CBER research encompasses health care,...
and Associate Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
..
Early Life & Military Career
Hicks attended Langley High School in McLean, Virginia and the Virginia Military InstituteVirginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
, graduating with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1984. Upon graduation he was commissioned an infantry officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He served on active duty with the 26th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottenbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the...
and Division Tactical and Assault Command Posts of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). He participated in Operation Bright Star
Operation Bright Star
Operation Bright Star is a series of biennial combined and joint training exercises led by American and Egyptian forces in Egypt. These exercises began in 1980. They are designed to strengthen ties between the Egyptian and American militaries and demonstrate and enhance the ability of the Americans...
and served with the 24th Infantry Division in Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. He left active duty as a Captain in 1992 and served thereafter as a reserve officer, holding staff and command positions including Chief, Plans, US Army Japan, and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel. Brigadier General Mark Hicks, USAF is his brother.
Academic career
In 1997, he graduated from University of Tennessee with an M.A. in economics and completed his Ph.D. the following year. Hicks held academic positions at the University of Tennessee, Marshall University and the Air Force Institute of Technology.Appalachian Coal & Environment
From 1999 through 2005 Hicks authored several studies of the coal industry in West Virginia and the impact of federal environmental policy on coal production and the West Virginia economy. In a study for the West Virginia Senate, Mark Burton, Cal Kent and Hicks detailed the local economic consequences of types of mining restrictions that were under pending federal litigation in the Southern District of West Virginia. A second study for the Senate estimated potential fiscal effects of these mining restrictions on the state. These studies were used as evidence by the State's defense of Bragg v. Robertson and Kentuckians for the Commenwealth v. Rivenburgh, Federal cases appealed through the 4th District Court of Appeals. Following these studies, Hicks and two other co-authors developed a clean water financing plan for West Virginia which ultimately became the Special Reclamation Fund. This fund was financed by a combination of a 7 cent tax per ton of coal, with a secondary 7 cent phase-out tax. This was designed to provide water treatment funds for abandoned coal mines. This remains the largest state level water treatment trust fund in the United States.Governor Bob Wise
Bob Wise
Robert Ellsworth "Bob" Wise, Jr. is an American politician. A Democrat, Wise served as the 33rd Governor of West Virginia from January 2001 to January 2005.-Early life:...
(D) appointed Hicks to the Fund commission, where, after approval by the West Virginia State Senate he served from 2003-2006.
In 2002 Hicks testified in a court case in Boone County, West Virginia that would eventually culminate in one of the most celebrated recent cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In Caperton v. Massey Hicks' provided testimony regarding the economic conditions of mining in Appalachian during the 1990s and early 21st Century. This case became inspiration for the John Grisham Novel "The Appeal."
Burton and Hicks also provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change, regarding the fiscal and economic effects of mining restrictions. This committee meeting also featured an appearance by one of the Backstreet Boys which prompted several committee members to walk out of the hearing. Burton and Hicks also served as consultants to the National Academies of Science review of the economic consequences of the coal slurry spill in eastern Kentucky.
West Virginia Workers' Compensation Controversy
A 2001 study co-authored by Hicks found little negative economic consequences of West Virginia's Workers' Compensation rates on the overall economy. This report sparked much criticism from the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and unleashed a series of op-Ed pieces and a letter writing campaign to state newspapers. The public debate culminated in an editorial in the Charleston Gazette criticizing the Chamber's attack on the Marshall University research team. However, the chair of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce wrote to Marshall University President Dan Angel, demanding that Dr. Hicks' tenure be revoked as a consequence of this study. Hicks was not tenured at the time. He received tenure in 2004.Hurricane and Flood Damages
Mark Burton and Michael Hicks developed models of flood damages from data collected on the Great Flood of 1993. These were used to simulate flood damages on the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers under contract to the Army Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Valley Authority. In September 2005, Burton and Hicks used this model to estimate damages from Hurricane Katrina. These estimates proved accurate and Hicks participated in the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force which reviewed the response to the Hurricane. In 2008 Ball State University released studies onfloods in Indiana and Iowa. In 2010 Burton and Hicks were asked by the Army Corps of Engineers to provide an estimate of flood damages for the Pakistan Flood of 2010. That study was released in late August 2010.the study has been used by the Asian Development Bank and other groups to estimate regional damages.
Local Government Consolidation
Hicks is co-author with Dagney Faulk of a book on local government consolidation. This book developed from work on local government consolidation study teams authored by former Governor Joe Kernan and Supreme court Justice Randy Shepard. The book was published in January 2011. Indiana's Governor Mitch DanielsMitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
wrote the forward to the book.
In 2011 Faulk and Hicks completed two studies on government consoidlation (local governments and school districts in New Jersey).
Wal-Mart and Local Economies
Hicks was an early researcher of Wal-Mart's impact on communities, and since 1999 has published several peer reviewed papers and a book on the economic impact of Walmart. Along with Kristy Wilburn, Hicks published the first econometric study to address the endogeneity of firm location decision related to Wal-Mart. Subsequent to this, Hicks appeared in a November 2005 Global InsightGlobal Insight
Global Insight is the world's largest economics organization, serving over 3,800 clients in industry, finance and government worldwide, with revenues of over $95 million and employing more than 600 economists and other staff in 23 offices in 13 countries...
conference on Wal-Mart's impact which received significant national attention. These papers were later published, along with a book. Hicks' work has been frequently cited in the academic literature and by friends and foes of Wal-Mart alike.
Economic Columnist
Hicks writes a weekly economics column, which is syndicated in several Indiana newspapers including the Indianapolis Business Journal, the Muncie Star Press, the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette and the South Bend Tribune.Awards
Hicks is the recipient of Marshall University's Distinguished Artist and Scholar Award (with Mark L. Burton), as well as the Graduate Student Teaching Award at Tennessee's College of Business, and awards from the Air Force Institute of Technology's student association and Ball State's Miller College of Business.In 2008 the Center for Business and Economic Research
Center for Business and Economic Research
The Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research , formerly the Bureau of Business Research, is an economic policy and forecasting research center housed within the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. CBER research encompasses health care,...
at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
received the Association for University Business and Economic Research Award for its Manufacturing Scorecard. In 2009 the Center won a then-unprecedented three awards from AUBER for a research study, county profiles and promotional materials.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
awarded Hicks the Commander's Award for Civilian Service
Commander's Award for Civilian Service
The Commander's Award for Civilian Service is an honorary award presented by the Department of the Army to civilian employees for commendable service or achievement. Employees who have a past record of excellence, normally recognized by the previous receipt of one or more honorary or performance...
for his efforts in support of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Team (IPET) and Task Force Guardian, Task Force Hope and the New Orleans District following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.