Mike Clark, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Director - Center for Business and Economic Research

Education

• Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 1996
• M.S., University of Kentucky, 1993
• B.S., University of Kentucky, 1991

View CV

Michael W. Clark is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and an associate professor of economics at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics. He earned a B.A. in management and an M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kentucky. Prior to coming to UK, Clark was the chief economist for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. He conducts applied economic and policy research focusing on labor, health and economic development issues. His work has been published in the Journal of Labor Research. He has conducted research for various Kentucky state agencies including the Department of Public Health, the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and the Department of Income Support.

Teaching Expertise:

• Cost Benefit Analysis

Research Expertise:

• Applied Economic Research
• Forecasting
• Workforce Development
• Policy Analysis

Selected Publications:

• Clark, Michael, Kenneth Troske, & Katie Scott. “The Effects of Kentucky’s Adult Education Program and TRAINS on Labor Market Outcomes.” Prepared for the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet. June 2024.
• Xiaozhou, Ding, Christopher Bollinger, Michael Clark, & William Hoyt. “Too late to buy a home? School redistricting and the timing and extent of capitalization.” Journal of Regional Science. Oct 2023.
• Clark, Michael, Jenny Minier, Charles Courtemanche, Bethany Paris, and Michael Childress. “The Effects of Opioids on Kentucky’s Workforce.” Prepared for the Kentucky Department of Public Health, September 2019.
• Clark, Michael. “The Effects of Prevailing Wage Laws: A Comparison of Individual Workers’ Wages Earned On and Off Prevailing Wage Construction Projects.” Journal of Labor Research, 26:4 (2005): 725-737.