Ph.D. - Urban Planning
University of California - 1978
Professional Preparation
M.A. - Urban Planning
University of California - 1973
University of California - 1973
B. Arch - Architecture
University of British Columbia - 1970
University of British Columbia - 1970
- Civil Engineering
McGill University - 1967
McGill University - 1967
Research Areas
Research Interests
Interests span several domains. These include policy and program effectiveness, economic development, urban design, occupational safety, and education. Current research focusses on effectiveness of juvenile justice programs and consumer credit decision making.Publications
“State Constitutions Compared,” with R. Lowry, State and Local Government, Brunell, T., Lowry, R., Miller, B. and Gray, T. (eds). TopHat Publishing, Toronto. 2022
2022 - Publication
2022 - Publication
Incorporating a Discrete Choice Experiment into Fieldwork Interviews to Improve Understanding of Household Decisions to Purchase “High-Priced” Credit. 2019. (with S. Hubbard) SAGE Research Methods Cases
2019 - Publication
2019 - Publication
Understanding Causes of Fall and Struck-by Incidents: What Differentiates Construction Safety in the Arabian Gulf Region? 2017. Applied Ergonomics, Vol. 58 pp 515-526 (with D. Liginlal, R. Yousef and P. Vyas).
2017 - Publication
2017 - Publication
Combining Morphological Analysis and Bayesian Belief Networks: A DSS for Safer Construction of a Smart City. 2015. Proceedings of the 21st Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), Puerto Rico; August (with C. Aoun, D. Liginlal and R. Yousef)
2015 - Publication
2015 - Publication
Chad: Governance by the Grassroots, with G. Desloovere, Local Governance in Africa: The Challenges of Democratic Decentralization, Oluwu, D. and Wunsch, J. (eds), Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO. 2005. 155-180 2005 - Publication
Where Have All the Hot Goods Gone? The Role of Pawnshops, with J. Francis, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Vol. 1, No. 2, May 2004. 156-179 2004 - Publication
Getting Tough on Juvenile Crime: An Analysis of Costs and Benefits, with C-R. Pi, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Vol. 39, No. 4, November 2002. 363-399 2002 - Publication
Surviving in the Informal Sector, in Arthur, C. and Dash, M. (eds.), A Haiti Anthology: libte, Marcus Weiner Publishers, Princeton NJ. 2000. 129-130 2000 - Publication
Awards
J. William Fulbright Senior Specialist - Council for International Exchange of Scholars [2002]
Outstanding Scholarship Award - Comparative and International Education Society [1990]
Outstanding Academic Book - Association of College and Research Libraries [1989]
Appointments
Associate Professor
University of Texas at Dallas [1988–Present]
University of Texas at Dallas [1988–Present]
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota [1980–1987]
University of Minnesota [1980–1987]
Evaluator-Consultant
United States Agency for International Development [1980–1980]
United States Agency for International Development [1980–1980]
Economist-Consultant
World Bank [1979–1979]
World Bank [1979–1979]
Assistant Director/Planning Division
Asian Development Bank/Ministry of Land and Regional Development, Malaysia [1978–1979]
Asian Development Bank/Ministry of Land and Regional Development, Malaysia [1978–1979]
Economist-Consultant
World Bank [1977–1977]
World Bank [1977–1977]
Economist-Consultant
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences/Inter-American Development Bank [1976–1976]
Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences/Inter-American Development Bank [1976–1976]
Economist
Haitian Ministry of Finance [1976–1976]
Haitian Ministry of Finance [1976–1976]
Urban Planner
UN Centre for Human Settlements-Habitat [1974–1976]
UN Centre for Human Settlements-Habitat [1974–1976]
Regional Planner
Southern California Association of Governments [1973–1973]
Southern California Association of Governments [1973–1973]
Projects
The Political Economy of Education in West Africa
1991–1991 paper, 8th Annual IEES (Incentives to Improve the Efficiency of Educational Systems) International Conference, Nov. 2-4, 1991, Alexandria, VirginiaThe Housing Process in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1988–1988 paper, Conference on Low-Income Shelter and Urban Development Issues and Strategies, July 28-29, 1988, Bridgetown, Barbados.Economic Integration of Hmong Refugees in the United States
1989–1989 paper, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, March 19-22, 1989, Baltimore, Maryland.Land Tenure and Informal Housing Processes in Haiti
1990–1990 paper, 32nd Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Nov. 1-4, 1990, Austin, Texas.Social Policy Planning: Problems Looking for Solutions or Solutions Looking for Problems?
2018–2018 paper, 30th Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, October, 1988, Buffalo, New York.Additional Information
Consultations
Copenhagen Consensus Center:- design of cost benefit analysis for proposed national land registry, Haiti, 2016
- study of social and financial characteristics of street food vendors, 1989
- evaluation of literacy and health training programs for factory workers, 1986-88
- analysis of association's financial constraints and development potential, 1986
- design of national adult literacy and non-formal education program, 1989
- design of institutional development strategy for Catholic primary schools, 1988
- analysis of population, income, employment, & housing, Haiti, 1991
- analysis of state unemployment and poverty trends, 1984
- review of participatory research methods for development in West Africa, 1997
- review of political development component of Africa Perspective study, 1995
- study of education and political decentralization in West Africa, 1992
- design and monitoring of community schooling project, Chad, 1993-2000
- design of national household income survey, Haiti, 1998
- analysis of household expenditures for education, Haiti, 1995
- study of financing of rural community schools, Chad, 1994
- evaluation of private primary education project, Haiti, 1993
- design of institutional development component for basic education, Benin, 1992
- design of surveys on education expenditure and school finance, Haiti, 1991
- assessment of proposed 1989-90 strategy for education support, Haiti, 1988
- design of strategic analysis of agency's disaster preparedness portfolio, 1989
- economic analysis of informal housing and land markets, Haiti, 1988
- design of institutional devolution strategy for primary education, Haiti, 1988
- advice on low-income housing policy for the Caribbean region, 1987
- analysis of economic and financial issues in primary education, Haiti, 1985
- design of national food consumption, nutrition, & expenditure survey, Haiti, 1985
- technical assistance to small business credit program, Tunisia, 1984
- analysis of climate for industrial investment, Haiti, 1983
- evaluation of worldwide small enterprise assistance program, 1983
- presentations on fertility & economic growth, Burkina Faso, 1982 and Mali, 1981
- evaluation of rural employment research project, Thailand, 1982
- study of rural small enterprise and industry, Cameroon, 1982
- analysis of household income distribution, Haiti, 1982
- technical assistance to regional development research project, Cameroon, 1981
- regional economic analysis, Burkina Faso, 1981
- design of regional development programs, Burkina Faso 1980
- redesign of public primary education project, Haiti, 1993
- analysis of adult education requirements in informal economy, Indonesia, 1990
- study of employment and poverty, Philippines, 1979
- evaluation of urban employment projects in India and Morocco, 1978
- study of urban management and housing, Haiti, 1977
School Activities and Committees
- Program Head, MS in Social Data Analytics & Research program, 2017-2018
- Coordinator, MS Social Data Analytics & Research development committee 2016
- Coordinator, GRE/LSAT Preparation program feasibility study 2015-16
- Coordinator, EPPS Undergraduate Research Methods Core 2013-2019
- member, PPPE Program Committee, 2013-15
- member, PPPE Methods Qualifying Examination Committee, 2004-10, 2012-18
- Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Evaluation Research program, 2009-16
- member, PAFF Methods Qualifying Examination Committee, 2010-12
- member, NASPAA Accreditation preparation Committee, 2009-10
- member, EPPS Faculty Advisory Committee 2008-10
- member, Quality Teaching Committee, 2000-2002
University Committees
- member, Campus Accessibility Committee, 2022-
- member, Academic Senate, 2010-2011, 2012, 2013-14, 2021-24
- member, Comets to the Core Assessment Committee, 2021-2023
- member, Discipline Committee, Office of Community Standards, 2013-16, 2019-
- member, International Partnership Development Committee, 2019-2020
- member, Committee on the CORE Curriculum, 2018-2020
- member, Institutional Review Board, 2007-2009
- member, Committee on Education Policy, 2005-2007
- member, University Safety Committee 2000-2002
News Articles
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Economy Gets Grant
RICHARDSON, Texas (January 2024) : With support from the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), two nonprofit organizations that serve justice-involved youth and young adults - Youth With Faces (YWF) and Café Momentum (CM) - have awarded a $200,000 evaluation research grant to Dr. Simon Fass of UT Dallas. The research grant aims to strengthen the capacity of YWF and CM to self-assess and to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts to improve the life course trajectories of young men and women in North Texas.University Adds New Graduate Program in Social Data Analytics
Beginning in fall 2017, the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) will offer a new master’s degree in data analytics and research that focuses on the social sciences.The interdisciplinary social data analytics and research degree is designed to meet the demand for graduates who are highly skilled in methods of analysis and research in public, nonprofit and business organizations, said Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public policy and director of the new program.
EPPS Team Examines Construction Accidents in Gulf Region
Inadequate training, limited use of safety equipment and a lack of government oversight contribute to deaths and injuries among construction workers in the rapidly developing Arabian Gulf region, also known as the Persian Gulf, a UT Dallas study found.Three School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences researchers analyzed a sample of 519 incidents and interviewed safety experts to understand the types and causes of construction accidents in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The study was published online in the journal Applied Ergonomics.
UTD Professor to Evaluate Effectiveness Of Dallas County Juvenile Drug Court
RICHARDSON, Texas (Dec. 3, 2003) - A professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has received a federal grant to evaluate Dallas County's juvenile drug court program.Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public affairs in UTD's School of Social Sciences, has won an award of $52,000 from the United States Department of Justice to study the effectiveness of the innovative drug court program in reducing juvenile delinquency. Fass' grant is part of a larger award of $500,000 that the Dallas County Juvenile Department will use to fund the court for the next three years.
Juvenile drug courts are intensive, judicially supervised treatment programs intended to reduce substance abuse and delinquency among youth and their families. Under the program, judges impose a range of sanctions and incentives to hold youth - who are subject to frequent drug testing - accountable for their actions. The court approach differs from standard judicial practice wherein a young person violating drug laws might simply get a warning for a first offense, be placed on probation for a second, and along the way receive limited or no counseling and treatment.
U.T. Dallas' Dr. Simon Fass Appointed to Roster Of Prestigious Fulbright Senior Specialists Program
RICHARDSON, Texas (June 12, 2002) -- Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public administration and political economy in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), has been named to the prestigious Senior Specialists Roster of the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange.As a result of his five-year appointment, Fass, whose work focuses on social, economic and political development in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, will visit universities overseas for periods of up to six weeks to lecture and conduct collaborative research in the fields of public administration and urban planning.