Chief Economist
paa2@wilder.org

Paul conducts studies of the return-on-investment (also called benefit-cost analyses) of human services programs. He also provides economic analysis to inform policy choices that affect families, neighborhoods, and the region.

Paul is an economist with more than 30 years’ experience in economic forecasting, regional economic analysis, industry analysis, corporate strategy, and public policy advising.

Paul has a B.A. in economics and mathematics from the University of Minnesota and completed all Ph.D. coursework and exams in economics from the same institution. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and an honorary Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He is a member of the American Economic Association and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. He is also a member and past director of the National Association for Business Economics.

Recent projects

• Two companion studies of the social return on investment for youth mentoring programs and youth intervention programs in Minnesota
• A benefit-cost analysis of three adult drug courts in Minnesota
• A study of the feasibility of conducting return on investment studies for different types of supportive housing 
• An economic evaluation of refugee cash assistance programs in Minnesota
• Estimates of the economic impact of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU), both its statewide impact and the local impact of twenty separate campuses
• A benefit cost analysis of college scholarship programs for foster children
• A study that put forward a framework for estimating the economic value of open space in land use decisionmaking
• Projections of the need for affordable housing in the east metro Twin Cities

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