January
Professor Jonathan Willner
Professor of Economics and B.C. Clark Jr.
Chair in Economics at Oklahoma City University
We welcome 2018 with Professor Jonathan Willner as our January 2018 member of the month. Professor Willner, specializes in three main areas: sports economics, international trade, and industrial organization. Additional areas of expertise include those related to intellectual property rights and natural disasters. His research in sports economics deals with the economic impacts of the Olympics and U.S. major league franchises. His industrial organization research deals with conglomerate effects in Korea as well as domestic issues associated with legal structures. He teaches courses in a variety of fields including international economics and game theory.
Why did you become a member of the International Atlantic Economic Society?
One word, “International”. I grew up that way and have a penchant for wanting to explore the world. IAES, always had people from other countries, and conferences in other countries. It was natural that I become part of IAES when I received my Ph.D. in International Economics and went into academia to align myself with an International organization. I’ve found the non-U.S. conferences the most beneficial as there is a great volume of disparate views and ideas. We are all trying to solve similar problems, but different approaches and their exchange makes us all more likely to find an efficient answer. Of course, then there’s always all those other problems.
What types of projects/research are you currently working on and what inspired/motivated you to pursue these interests?
My current projects are all empirical sports related pieces. I’ve been working in this area largely by chance and due to curiosity about all the local subsidies to sports and its over-arching role in Oklahoma. Naturally, I work on more than just U.S. based sports. Currently, I’m working on a U.S. based project – the role of sports as advertising in NCAA Division III universities and another on competitive balance and attendance with regime change in Australian Rules Football. I should add that as a former athlete, being at a university led me to investigate sports on campus. It is as fascinating as trying to understand a three-year old’s art project.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering entering your line of work/field of study?
Difficult question to answer. It very much depends upon the individual’s utility function. I’m a “pursue your passions” type so do research on what interests me. But most important is DO THE RESEARCH. Don’t stop. Don’t even slow down. If your utility function is more aligned with wealth and income than mine then DO RESEARCH on finance and get the answer that a wealthy person or company wants.
Going forward, what other projects/research are you looking to or hoping to pursue?
I have a couple of early stage projects with undergraduate students: one on the role of steroids in baseball where there is preliminary evidence that teams were recruiting as opposed to punishing users – it’s all about the money, regardless of commentator and fan assumptions to the contrary. Another is seeing if NBA players are paid to perform for the audience (individual statistics) or for the team (+/- when on the court). An interesting difference in my view because both ideas are original to the students who wish to pursue them further.
What’s your favorite hobby?
I love to cook, mostly traditional French, German and Chinese, and dessert. I’m also learning, very slowly, how to build custom cabinetry in the old way, but with modern connecting devices such as the “pocket screw”. “Pocket screws” are a really cool and wonderful connector – strong and hidden.