Mark Hoekstra

Mark Hoekstra is the Larry Faulkner Professor of Economics in the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds appointments as a Research Fellow at IZA and a Research Associate at NBER. Prior to arriving at UT-Austin, Professor Hoekstra was the George J. Boden Professor of Economics at Baylor University, and the Private Enterprise Research Center Rex B. Grey Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University. He received a PhD in Economics from the University of Florida in 2006.

Professor Hoekstra’s research in empirical microeconomics addresses a wide range of questions relevant for public policy. His work in education has demonstrated significant returns to high school and college quality, and has shown that exposure to disruptive peers during elementary school has short- and long-run effects on achievement and adult earnings.  His other work on peer effects has documented that poor physical fitness is in fact ‘contagious’, and that white men who are randomly exposed to more and higher ability African Americans behave more positively toward new and different African Americans in the future.

Professor Hoekstra’s work in law and economics has examined the impact of Stand-Your-Ground laws on homicides and whether state laws can deter illegal immigration.  Other research has shown how the Cash for Clunkers stimulus program reduced new vehicle spending over a period of less than a year, and that large positive income shocks only postpone, rather than reduce, personal bankruptcy. His work on elections has documented that very few people vote in elections without identification, even when state law allows it. Currently Professor Hoekstra is focused on understanding how and why neighborhoods matter for child and adult outcomes, and whether outcomes in the criminal justice system are shaped by race or gender.