top of page

About Me

About Me

82421591-44F2-48D4-B76A-88F9AC6CA21C_1_201_a.jpeg

I am an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. I am also an affiliated scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and an affiliated scholar with the Foundation for Economic Education. I am Senior Fellow with the Independent Institute in Oakland, California. I am a Non-Resident Fellow with Defense Priorities and a Public Choice and Public Policy Fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research. I earned my PhD in Economics from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in 2015. 

My broader research interests include Austrian Economics, Political Economy and Public Choice, Defense and Peace Economics, and Institutions and Economic Development. My work includes topics surrounding militarism, the U.S. military, and national defense, including, domestic police militarizatio
n, domestic extremism, arm sales, weapons as foreign aid, the cost of military mobilization, and the political economy of military technology. I have written extensively on the domestic consequences of foreign intervention and the economics of propaganda. My current research relates to the economics of terrorism, illicit markets, and militarization. 

​ 

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Interviews
Police Reform in the Wake of the Derek Chauvin Verdict:  Abigail Hall Blanco on Fox News Now
11:17
Independent Institute

Police Reform in the Wake of the Derek Chauvin Verdict: Abigail Hall Blanco on Fox News Now

Independent Institute Research Fellow Dr. Abigail R. Hall Blanco was interviewed April 21, 2021 on Fox News Now about the data, or lack of it, regarding police shootings. Police kill about 1,000 people each year and very few of these lead to charges or convictions if brought to trial. Even though there was a murder conviction for the death of George Floyd, she says, issues such as qualified immunity for officers, leeway on use of force, powerful police unions and perceived imminent threat will need to be addressed in the future. Abigail R. Hall Blanco is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and an Associate Professor of Economics at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. She was previously an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Tampa. She received her Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University, and her work includes topics surrounding women's issues in business and the family, civil and economic liberty, the U.S. military and national defense, including, domestic police militarization, arms sales, weapons as foreign aid, and the political economy of military technology. https://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=1641 BUY THE BOOKS: "To Serve and Protect: Privatization and Community in Criminal Justice," by Bruce L. Benson, with a foreword by Marvin E. Wolfgang https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=21 "The Pursuit of Justice: Law and Economics of Legal Institutions," edited by Edward J. López, with a foreword by Robert D. Tollison https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=86 "The Voluntary City: Choice, Community, and Civil Society," edited by David T. Beito, Peter Gordon and Alexander T. Tabarrok, with a foreword by Paul Johnson https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=17 "Changing the Guard: Private Prisons and the Control of Crime," edited by Alexander T. Tabarrok, with a foreword by Charles H. Logan https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=20 "The Enterprise of Law: Justice Without the State," by Bruce L. Benson https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=92 INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE: WEBSITE: http://www.independent.org MEMBERSHIP: https://secure.independent.org/donate/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/independentinst TWITTER: http://twitter.com/independentinst YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/independentinstitute SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/the-independent-institute THINKSPOT: https://www.thinkspot.com/forum_type/independent-institute/author/bDotej/author/bDotej

As seen on...

Abby's Media Photos.png

Social Science Research Network

4669AEB6-4433-43EE-A883-505CBEA7A9D4_1_201_a.jpeg
Open Book

Google Scholar

bottom of page