George Hammond

Areas of Expertise

• Regional economic forecasting 
• Energy forecasting
• Workforce development
• Higher education and human capital accumulation

Current Research

Economics

Human capital

Macroeconomics

Regional growth and development

Bio

George W. Hammond, Ph.D., brings a wealth of experience in state and local econometric forecasting and regional economic analysis, as well as, wide-ranging academic research interests to bear on his role as Director of the Economic and Business Research Center.  A specialist in econometric forecasting for over 19 years, George has designed, built, and used economic models to produce over 100 forecasts for state and local economies, and completed over 50 regional economic studies on topics including economic and workforce development, energy forecasting, and the impact of higher education on human capital accumulation.  As director of EBRC’s Forecasting Project, each quarter, he estimates economic forecasts for Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson covering key indicators such as jobs, population, income, sales, tax revenues, and residential construction activity. These forecasts and reports reach thousands of business leaders, policymakers, and citizens each year through conferences, public presentations, publications, EBRC’s websites and social media, and the press. George is a frequent contributor to local and national news services. His analysis and commentary have been featured in such distinguished venues as the NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The New York Times.  In addition to directing the Center and spearheading EBRC’s Forecasting Project, George is also a research professor with academic research interests focusing on the determinants of local economic growth in the U.S., the impact of state and local policies on economic growth, and the contribution of higher education to local workforce development. His research has appeared in the top journals in his field including the Journal of Regional Science, The American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Contemporary Economic Policy, the International Regional Science Review, The Annals of Regional Science, Papers in Regional Science, Regional Studies, The Review of Regional Studies, and The Manchester School.  George holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in business economics from Indiana University.

Courses

ECON 555 Macroeconomics and Forecasting

Teaching Interests

Macroeconomics

Economic forecasting