
- earlyd@southwestern.edu
- 512.863.1592
- Mood-Bridwell 334
Dirk Early
Professor of Economics
Dirk Early received his PhD from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA in 1995 and his BSB from Miami University, Oxford, OH in 1988.
In the News
Led by dedicated faculty, top-notch career services, and a vibrant campus community, Southwestern University has again earned recognition as one of the top institutions in the country.
more informationProfessor of Communication Studies Bob Bednar led five students deep into the Houston Methodist Hospital system to analyze organizational communication at one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems.
more informationAs perspectives surrounding higher education shift, Southwestern University is doubling down on the impact and value of a liberal arts education.
more informationSince the launch of the Thrive campaign in 2018, the Southwestern community has donated over $160 million to elevate student success, enhance academic excellence, and transform the campus.
more informationIn the true spirit of Paideia, physics and computer science students put their heads together to complete two different research objectives.
more informationLearn more about the legacy of Southwestern University’s first female registrar through a series of letters between Pearl Alma Neas, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Lady Bird Johnson.
more informationNationwide education services company honors Southwestern University as a 2025 “Best Value College.”
more informationSU recognized as one of the top student-centered undergraduate universities in the nation, anchored by strong career development, business, and education programs.
more informationIncoming students and families had their first chance to experience life at Southwestern during Sprog orientation sessions this summer.
more informationA pair of first-year biochemistry majors designed their own experiment aimed at increasing certain chemical compounds produced by spinach plants using different types of fertilizers.
more informationLed by dedicated faculty, top-notch career services, and a vibrant campus community, Southwestern University has again earned recognition as one of the top institutions in the country.
more informationProfessor of Communication Studies Bob Bednar led five students deep into the Houston Methodist Hospital system to analyze organizational communication at one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems.
more informationAs perspectives surrounding higher education shift, Southwestern University is doubling down on the impact and value of a liberal arts education.
more informationSince the launch of the Thrive campaign in 2018, the Southwestern community has donated over $160 million to elevate student success, enhance academic excellence, and transform the campus.
more informationIn the true spirit of Paideia, physics and computer science students put their heads together to complete two different research objectives.
more informationLearn more about the legacy of Southwestern University’s first female registrar through a series of letters between Pearl Alma Neas, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Lady Bird Johnson.
more informationNationwide education services company honors Southwestern University as a 2025 “Best Value College.”
more informationSU recognized as one of the top student-centered undergraduate universities in the nation, anchored by strong career development, business, and education programs.
more informationIncoming students and families had their first chance to experience life at Southwestern during Sprog orientation sessions this summer.
more informationA pair of first-year biochemistry majors designed their own experiment aimed at increasing certain chemical compounds produced by spinach plants using different types of fertilizers.
more informationLed by dedicated faculty, top-notch career services, and a vibrant campus community, Southwestern University has again earned recognition as one of the top institutions in the country.
more informationProfessor of Communication Studies Bob Bednar led five students deep into the Houston Methodist Hospital system to analyze organizational communication at one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems.
more informationAs perspectives surrounding higher education shift, Southwestern University is doubling down on the impact and value of a liberal arts education.
more informationSince the launch of the Thrive campaign in 2018, the Southwestern community has donated over $160 million to elevate student success, enhance academic excellence, and transform the campus.
more informationIn the true spirit of Paideia, physics and computer science students put their heads together to complete two different research objectives.
more informationNationwide education services company honors Southwestern University as a 2025 “Best Value College.”
more informationSU recognized as one of the top student-centered undergraduate universities in the nation, anchored by strong career development, business, and education programs.
more informationIncoming students and families had their first chance to experience life at Southwestern during Sprog orientation sessions this summer.
more informationA pair of first-year biochemistry majors designed their own experiment aimed at increasing certain chemical compounds produced by spinach plants using different types of fertilizers.
more informationTrustee Brent Austin has encouraged the Southwestern community to match his $500,000 gift and push the University closer to reaching its fundraising goal for the new facility.
more informationLed by dedicated faculty, top-notch career services, and a vibrant campus community, Southwestern University has again earned recognition as one of the top institutions in the country.
more informationProfessor of Communication Studies Bob Bednar led five students deep into the Houston Methodist Hospital system to analyze organizational communication at one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems.
more informationAs perspectives surrounding higher education shift, Southwestern University is doubling down on the impact and value of a liberal arts education.
more informationSince the launch of the Thrive campaign in 2018, the Southwestern community has donated over $160 million to elevate student success, enhance academic excellence, and transform the campus.
more informationIn the true spirit of Paideia, physics and computer science students put their heads together to complete two different research objectives.
more informationLearn more about the legacy of Southwestern University’s first female registrar through a series of letters between Pearl Alma Neas, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Lady Bird Johnson.
more informationNationwide education services company honors Southwestern University as a 2025 “Best Value College.”
more informationSU recognized as one of the top student-centered undergraduate universities in the nation, anchored by strong career development, business, and education programs.
more informationIncoming students and families had their first chance to experience life at Southwestern during Sprog orientation sessions this summer.
more informationA pair of first-year biochemistry majors designed their own experiment aimed at increasing certain chemical compounds produced by spinach plants using different types of fertilizers.
more informationLed by dedicated faculty, top-notch career services, and a vibrant campus community, Southwestern University has again earned recognition as one of the top institutions in the country.
more informationProfessor of Communication Studies Bob Bednar led five students deep into the Houston Methodist Hospital system to analyze organizational communication at one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems.
more informationAs perspectives surrounding higher education shift, Southwestern University is doubling down on the impact and value of a liberal arts education.
more informationSince the launch of the Thrive campaign in 2018, the Southwestern community has donated over $160 million to elevate student success, enhance academic excellence, and transform the campus.
more informationIn the true spirit of Paideia, physics and computer science students put their heads together to complete two different research objectives.
more informationLearn more about the legacy of Southwestern University’s first female registrar through a series of letters between Pearl Alma Neas, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Lady Bird Johnson.
more informationNationwide education services company honors Southwestern University as a 2025 “Best Value College.”
more informationSU recognized as one of the top student-centered undergraduate universities in the nation, anchored by strong career development, business, and education programs.
more informationTrustee Brent Austin has encouraged the Southwestern community to match his $500,000 gift and push the University closer to reaching its fundraising goal for the new facility.
more informationBy embracing the support system on campus and the resources available through Southwestern’s liberal arts education, first-generation student Fernando Cruz-Rivera ’26 has put himself on track to a successful career in government.
more informationNotable Achievements
Economics majors Abbie Boatwright ’19, Stan Kannegieter ’19, and Diana Trevino ’20 presented their research at the Economics Scholars Undergraduate Research Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Boatwright, under the direction of Professor of Economics Dirk Early and Dr. Paul Brenner, associate director of high-performance computing at the University of Notre Dame, presented her research on the link between intellectual-property protections and patenting, “Global Innovation and Intellectual-Property Rights.” Kannegieter presented his work on the effectiveness of solar incentives in solar adoption, “The Effect of Financial Incentive Policies on Residential Solar Panel Installation,” and Trevino presented her paper on discrimination in jury selection, “Discrimination in Peremptory Challenges.” Assistant Professor of Economics Katie Grooms supervised the projects produced by Kannegieter and Trevino. Grooms was also the keynote speaker at the conference and presented her work “Water Pollution in the United States: Regulatory Enforcement, Firm Compliance, and Human Health.”
Dirk Early received his PhD from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA in 1995 and his BSB from Miami University, Oxford, OH in 1988.
Peer Reviewed Publications:
A Panel of Interarea Price Indices for All Areas in the United States, 1982-2012. (with Paul Carrilo, George Washington University, and Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia). Journal of Housing Economics, 2014.
Geographical Price Variation, Housing Assistance and Poverty. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia) in Philip M. Jefferson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Poverty, Oxford University Press, 2012.
An Empirical Investigation of the Determinants of Street Homelessness. Journal of Housing Economics, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2005.
The Determinants of Homelessness and the Targeting of Housing Assistance. Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 55, No. 1, January 2004.
Subsidized Housing, Emergency Shelters, and Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Data from the 1990 Census. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia.) Advances in Economic Analysis & Policy, Vol. 2: No. 1, Article 2, 2002.
Rent Control, Rental Housing Supply, and the Distribution of Tenant Benefits. Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 48, Number 2, September 2000.
The Effects of Rent Regulations on Price in the Uncontrolled Sector: An Empirical Investigation using Data from the AHS. (with Jon Phelps, Southwestern University.) Journal of Housing Research, Volume 10, Issue 2, December 1999.
A Microeconomic Model of Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Choice-Based Sampling. Journal of Housing Economics, Volume 8, Number 4, December 1999. The Role of Subsidized Housing in Reducing Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Micro-Data. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Volume 17, Number 4, Fall 1998.
Rent Control and Homelessness. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia.) Regional Science and Urban Economics, Volume 28, Number 6, November 1998.
Non-Peer Reviewed Publications:
Medicaid, Managed Care and the Health of Children in Texas. (with Mary Young, Southwestern University). In The Status of Women: Facing the Facts, Forging the Future: Proceedings of the Symposium held in Washington, D.C., June 8-10, 2001, edited by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2002.
Grants:
US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Research for Assisted Housing II Grants Program, Title: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Rents of Constant Quality Units in the Housing Choice Voucher Program: Evidence from HUDs Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2010.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Research for Assisted Housing II Grants Program, Title: Metropolitan Area Cost of Rental Housing Indices Using the Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2006.
Dirk Early received his PhD from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA in 1995 and his BSB from Miami University, Oxford, OH in 1988.
Peer Reviewed Publications:
A Panel of Interarea Price Indices for All Areas in the United States, 1982-2012. (with Paul Carrilo, George Washington University, and Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia). Journal of Housing Economics, 2014.
Geographical Price Variation, Housing Assistance and Poverty. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia) in Philip M. Jefferson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Poverty, Oxford University Press, 2012.
An Empirical Investigation of the Determinants of Street Homelessness. Journal of Housing Economics, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2005.
The Determinants of Homelessness and the Targeting of Housing Assistance. Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 55, No. 1, January 2004.
Subsidized Housing, Emergency Shelters, and Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Data from the 1990 Census. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia.) Advances in Economic Analysis & Policy, Vol. 2: No. 1, Article 2, 2002.
Rent Control, Rental Housing Supply, and the Distribution of Tenant Benefits. Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 48, Number 2, September 2000.
The Effects of Rent Regulations on Price in the Uncontrolled Sector: An Empirical Investigation using Data from the AHS. (with Jon Phelps, Southwestern University.) Journal of Housing Research, Volume 10, Issue 2, December 1999.
A Microeconomic Model of Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Choice-Based Sampling. Journal of Housing Economics, Volume 8, Number 4, December 1999. The Role of Subsidized Housing in Reducing Homelessness: An Empirical Investigation Using Micro-Data. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Volume 17, Number 4, Fall 1998.
Rent Control and Homelessness. (with Edgar Olsen, University of Virginia.) Regional Science and Urban Economics, Volume 28, Number 6, November 1998.
Non-Peer Reviewed Publications:
Medicaid, Managed Care and the Health of Children in Texas. (with Mary Young, Southwestern University). In The Status of Women: Facing the Facts, Forging the Future: Proceedings of the Symposium held in Washington, D.C., June 8-10, 2001, edited by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2002.
Grants:
US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Research for Assisted Housing II Grants Program, Title: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Rents of Constant Quality Units in the Housing Choice Voucher Program: Evidence from HUDs Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2010.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Research for Assisted Housing II Grants Program, Title: Metropolitan Area Cost of Rental Housing Indices Using the Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2006.
In the News
Southwestern professors Saroj Dhital and Dirk Early explain the impacts of the pandemic on the U.S. economy.
The Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair in Economics shares his thoughts on his students, his dream vacation, and his 26 years at Southwestern.