Kurt Beron

Ph.D. - Economics
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - 1985

MSW - Public Administration, Policy, and Planning concentration
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill - 1980

B.S. - Economics
University of North Carolina - Greensboro - 1977

B.A. - Sociology
University of North Carolina - Greensboro - 1977

Property tax capitalization, a case study of Dallas County. S. H. Giertz, R. Ramezani, K. J. Beron. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 89.  2021 - Publication

Frequency of Text Messaging and Adolescents' Mental Health Symptoms Across 4 Years of High School” (with M. George, J. Vollet, S. Ehrenreich, K. Burnell, and M. Underwood). Journal of Adolescent Health 68(2), 324-330 https://doi.org/10.1016. 2021 - Publication

How Adolescents Use Text Messaging Through their High School Years (with S. Ehrenreich, K. Burnell, D. Meter, and M. Underwood). Journal of Research on Adolescence 30(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12541. 2020 - Publication

"Hierarchical Linear Models” (Beron, Murdoch, and Thayer, 1999) featured example in William Greene’s Econometric Analysis, 8th ed. (Pearson, NY) one of the top graduate textbooks. 679 – 680. (Republished 2019).  2018 - Publication

Social Victimization Trajectories From Middle Childhood Through Late Adolescence (with L. Rosen and M. Underwood). Social Development 26 2 (2017) 227-247.  2017 - Publication

Social and physical aggression trajectories from childhood through late adolescence: Predictors of psychosocial maladjustment at age 18 (with S. Ehrenreich and M. Underwood), Developmental Psychology, v52, No. 3, 457-462.  2016 - Publication

Studying the Determinants of Student Athlete Grade Point Average: The Roles of Identity, Context, and Academic Interests (with A. Piquero), Social Science Quarterly, v97, No. 2, 142-160. 2016 - Publication

Prosocial Behavior:  Long-Term Trajectories and Psychosocial Outcomes (with M. Underwood, S. Ehrenreich, and E. Flynn), Social Development, v24, No. 3, 462-482.  2015 - publications

Professor, Economics and Public Policy
The University of Texas at Dallas [2006–Present]

Chair, DFW Research Data Center Consortium Board
DFW Research Data Center [2018–2023]
Elected, and reelected, Chair of the Consortium composed of ten Texas and Oklahoma institutions.

Faculty Athletics Representatives Association Officer
NCAA FARA [2017–Present]
Elected/reelected FARA Secretary representing Faculty Athletics Representatives at all 1,100 NCAA institutions across all three divisions.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Faculty Athletics Representative
The University of Texas at Dallas [1999–Present]

Chair, NCAA Research Committee
NCAA [2006–2019]
Association wide committee responsible for research across all divisions of the NCAA. 2006-2010; 2015-2019. Elected Chair for two years in each term.

Director, Certificate in Economic and Demographic Data Analysis
The University of Texas at Dallas [2007–2015]

Global Leadership Executive MBA Program Faculty Member
The University of Texas at Dallas [2000–2013]

Director, Quantitative Analysis of Social and Economic Data Certificate Program
The University of Texas at Dallas [1999–2001]

Fellow, Bruton Center
The University of Texas at Dallas [1998–2004]

Consulting Economist
Internal Revenue Service [1997–1999]

Reforming Compensatory Education with Reading One-One

1994–1994 With G. Farkas, K. Vicknair, and D. Walters. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, 10/94.

Hedonic Price Functions and Spatial Dependence: Implications for the Demand for Urban Air Quality

1998–1998 With Y. Hanson, J. Murdoch, and M. Thayer. North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, 11/98.

Proving Lost Profits

1998–1998 With K. Marshall. The Dallas Bar Association, 1/98.

Mediating Variables for the Relationship Between Class/Race Background and Reading Performance: The Role of Basic Cognitive Abilities

1995–1995 With G. Farkas. The American Sociological Association Meetings, 8/95.

Determinants of Country Participation in Global Environmental Agreements

1992–1992 With J. Murdoch and V. Shukla), Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Denver, 10/92.

Dissertation Committees - Chair or co-Chair

• Jeong-Dai Kim, Ph.D. received December 2002. Topic: The Environmental Effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
• Giant Abutalebi, Ph.D. received December 2007. Topic: Bounded Rationality and Police Vehicles: The Political Economy of Law Enforcement Procurement Decisions.
• Paul Dabbs, Ph.D. received May 2008. Topic: Factors Affecting Student Transitions from Elementary School to Middle School.
• Ayodeji Iyabode Ajiboye, Ph.D. received August, 2010.  Topic: “International Technology Transfer for Less Developed Countries, Firm Characteristics, and Domestic Investment Climate: A MIMIC Model.” 
• Caitlin McKillop, Ph.D. received August 2015. Topic: “An Examination of the Social and Geographic Determinants of Individual Decision-Making.”  
• Shidi Wang, Ph.D. received June 2016. Topic: “The Effects of Texas Top 10% Plan on the Differences of Property Values along School Districts Boundaries.” (Co-chair: D. Griffith).  
• Xia Si, Ph.D. received May 2018. Topic: “Three Essays on The Economics of Nutrition Assistance and Food Security.” 

Dissertation Committee Member (with year of proposal or final defense) - selected assortment

•  James Guseh – "Government size and economic growth: A political economy framework" (1991).
•  Barbara Kilbourne – "Occupational skill, gender, and earnings" (1991).
•  Kiweon Kim – "The effect of poverty on children's academic performance" (1992).
•  Pamela Smith – "Hospital quality and cost: Responses to federal legislation" (1993).
•  Xiahong He – "International tax trends and competition: Tax sensitivity of U.S. foreign investment abroad" (1991).
•  Kevin Marshall – "Administered protection: The political economy of United States countervailing duty and antidumping regulation" (1993).
•  Pornchanok Chulkatabbha – "Spatial dependence in Dallas sales tax revenues: Estimation and forecasting" (1995).
•  Chung-Ron Pi – "Expression of culture in economic development" (1994).
•  David Kelleher – "The international provision of global public goods: The case of ozone layer preservation" (1997).
•  Michael Lucas – "Family background, home environment and the rate of child cognitive development" (1998).
•  Roxanne DeLaurell – "Globalization of regulation: The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods" (2000).
•  Yaw Hanson – "Air quality valuation from hedonic models: Applications of recent estimation techniques" (2000).
•  James Owen – "Currency devaluation and emerging economy export demand (Malaysia, Korea, Chile)" (2001).
•  Melissa Montgomery – "The Impact of Expansions in Children's Public Health Insurance on Children with Asthma." Final Defense June 27, 2006.
•  Bindu Arya (Management School) – "Strategic Networks of Public Service Industry in the Dallas Area." Final Defense June 30, 2006.
•  Alicia C. Schortgen – "The Face of Donors in America: Who Gives and Why it Matters?"Final Defense June 27, 2006.
•  Kruti Dholakia – "Determinants of Birth Outcomes in Texas." Final Defense July 19, 2006.
•  Kristin Kuhne – "Finger Paints to 4.0: Preschool Effects." Final Defense July 8, 2008.
•  Priyanka Singh – "Household and Earnings Risk: Does Occupational Sorting Offer Any Insurance Mechanism?" Final Defense January 10, 2008.
•  Jodie Foster – "Groundwater Depletion and Texas Groundwater Conservation Districts" Final Defense 3/28/08.
•  Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn – "Subjective Wellbeing/Life Satisfaction/Happiness: Determinants of Values at the Individual and Societal Levels" Final Defense 3/24/08.
•  Carlos Mendiola – "Harvesting Biotechnology Ventures: Survival Analysis of Exit Strategies (1976-2007)" Final Defense 11/21/08.
•  Michael Greenfield – "A Game of Millions: Professional Sports Facilities and the Agenda Setting Process" successful proposal defense 1/29/08.
•  Chunbei Wang – "Self-Employment among Immigrant and Hispanic Populations" Final Defense 7/10/08.
•  Yu Xue – "An Empirical Investigation of Occupational Choice With Human Capital Accumulation at Mid-life" successful proposal defense 1/30/09.
•  Deji Ajiboye – "Effect of Technology Transfer through Transnational Corporations on Economic Development" Final Defense 7/29/08.
•  Jielai Ma – "Unobservable Clusters Diagnostic Tests and Forecasts." Final Defense March 26, 2009.
•  Jimmy Lynn Verner, Jr. – "A New Look at the Minimum Wage's Effect on Employment." Final Defense February 19, 2009.
•  Ozge Eryuksel Ozden – "Three Essays on the Effects of Mergers: Wage Incentives and Prices" Passed Proposal Defense November 15, 2009.
•  Monica Brussolo – "The Kuznets Hypothesis Revisited: Exploring Inequality at the Sub-National Level for the Mexican Economy." Passed Proposal Defense November 18, 2009.
•  Giang Ngo – "The Emergence and Growth of the US Biotechnology Industry in Time and Space." Passed Proposal Defense March 31, 2009.
•  Adam A. Guerrero – "The Determinants of College Student Retentions." Passed Proposal Defense April 10, 2009.
•  Oksana Zhuk – "Advertising, Drinking Age Laws and the Demand for Beer."
•  Julia So – "The Short Term Consequences of Part-time Employment on the Academic Achievement of High School Students."
•  Irene Ngugi – "Evaluating Learning Outcomes in the Context of School Finance Equalization."
•  LaVada Strickland – "The Effects of Technology on Educational Outcomes Dissertation Research Proposal."
•  Jeffrey Keyser – "Innovation, Development fundamentals and patent life dynamics in the US Drug industry: 1994-2006."
•  Nikhil Jha – "Three Essays in Education."
• Jihun Kwak “Three Essays on Panel Data Analysis.” Passed Final Defense, October 30, 2020. 
• Rafael O. Martin “A Taxonomic Examination of The Determinants of University Licensing Revenue.” Passed Final Defense, November 6, 2020.
• Jin Luo. "Personnel policies, educator labor markets and student achievement."  Passed Final Defense June 20, 2023.
• Lynn Morgan. "The Social Security Disability Insurance program." Passed Final Defense, June 5, 2024.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

 I am a professor in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (previously, Social Sciences) at UT-Dallas and teach in Economics and in Public Policy.

  I am the senior researcher through the Texas Schools Project on an originally Texas legislature-mandated value-added assessment of public schools and districts, previously under the sponsorship of the Texas Comptroller, and now through TXSmartSchools. I was previously a senior researcher on an NSF grant to investigate neighborhood dynamics relating to external change occurring in south Dallas. In on-going, collaborative work on an NIH-funded grant I was involved for many years in projects investigating the underlying causes of social and physical aggression of elementary and middle school children and, separately, on the influence of friendship on underlying human capital development of behavior. My applied microeconomics research has focused on education, hedonic pricing models, and tax compliance, and includes collaborative research into the reasons behind various earnings patterns found among men and women and across races. I maintain an interest in the motivation of students in the classroom and have collaborative research focusing on measures of success in both reading and math achievement.

 I have served on the editorial boards of Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal and on the editorial board of Evaluation Review. I have been the Associate Dean and College Master for the School of Social Sciences and have chaired the University's Information Resources Committee and Committee on Educational Policy. I have published in The Review of Economics and Statistics, Southern Economic Journal, American Journal of Sociology, Structural Equation Modeling, and Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology among others. I teach a wide range of courses which have included public sector economics, econometrics, and sports economics. For 10+ years I was also on the Global Leadership Executive MBA faculty. I serve the University as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and also serve on the national FARA Executive Committee.

EPPS Professor Picked for NCAA Oversight Role

Dr. Kurt Beron, professor of economics in UT Dallas’ School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, has been elected to serve on the Management Council of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). NCAA’s Division III has about 450 universities, including UT Dallas. The council governs the division, producing and implementing policy relating to the 160,000 student-athletes attending Division III schools. “I was surprised and excited by my election to this position,” Beron said. “It is the highest position in the governance structure of the NCAA that a non-president can be on and will put me in the middle of policy discussions at the national level. Being able to influence these policies that affect so many universities and students is somewhat daunting. But I look forward to the challenge and appreciate (UT Dallas) President David Daniel’s support in undertaking this position.” Beron is one of three college faculty members on the 21-member oversight committee, which also includes university presidents, vice presidents and directors of athletics.

New Center to Provide Researchers with Special Access to Federal Data

The University of Texas at Dallas and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas are leading a consortium of institutions working to establish a Dallas-Fort Worth Federal Statistical Research Data Center.
The center, which will be one of several throughout the United States, is expected to open next year at the Dallas Fed.

Federal Statistical Research Data Centers are partnerships between federal statistical agencies and research institutions that provide access to restricted economic, demographic, employment, health and other data for statistical purposes only.

Study: NCAA Athletes Need More Coaching on Academics, Reality of Reaching the Pros

NCAA athletes need more coaching on the long odds of playing professionally and the importance of academics to their future success.

That was the bottom line of a new UT Dallas study that analyzed surveys of 19,000 male and female student-athletes at more than 1,100 colleges and universities in all three NCAA divisions to determine how various factors impacted their academic performance. The study, by two School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) faculty members, was published in the journal Social Science Quarterly.

UTD Professor Appointed To NCAA Research Committee

Dr. Kurt J. Beron, professor of economics and public policy at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), has been appointed to the Research Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body of college sports.

The appointment, made by the organization’s governing board of university presidents, is for four years, beginning September 1, 2006.

Research Data Centers: Dallas-Fort Worth: PI

$300,000 - National Science Foundation [2017/09–2021/08]

Social Aggression: Growth, Outcomes, and Digital Communication: Co-I

$1.98 million - National Institutes of Health [2015/09–2020/08]

Social Aggression: Growth and Outcomes

- National Institutes of Health Director's Bridge Award [2009/06–2014/06]

Father Care: Levels, Sources, and Consequences

- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [2008–2010]

AOC: Publicly-Driven Investment: Individual and Neighborhood Dynamics

- National Science Foundation [2008–2011]