Matthew Rousu is Dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business and a Professor of Economics. He runs the Econtastic YouTube and Substack pages which are designed to help teach economics in fun and engaging ways. He is also the co-host of the Economics Happy Hour podcast.
His research interests include political economy, experimental auctions, agricultural economics, pedagogy, and public health. He has published more than 50 scholarly articles and his research has been cited over 3,000 times. Dr. Rousu’s book Broadway and Economics: Economic Lessons from Show Tunes was published in June 2018 by Routledge. He also created and maintains the websites Broadwayeconomics.com and EconomicsofStarWars.com.
Dr. Rousu has been quoted widely on many issues. Among the outlets that have interviewed or quoted Dr. Rousu are Barron’s, BBC World News, Forbes, Fox News, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post. He has also been a guest for many radio shows and podcasts. He has received several external grants and has received university and national awards for both his teaching and research.
Since becoming dean, the Sigmund Weis School of Business has implemented a guarantee to students to complete an internship in a foreign country, has improved first year retention rates by over 10 percentage points, has implemented a mentoring program where all sophomores receive professional mentors, and has implemented several new majors.
Dr. Rousu earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University.
