Luke Petach
Associate Professor of Economics
Jack C. Massey College of Business
Biography
Dr. Luke Petach is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Jack C. Massey College of Business at Belmont University. Dr. Petach has a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from George Fox University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Colorado State University. Dr. Petach’s research focuses on questions related to long-run economic growth, the political economy of income and wealth inequality, and regional economic development. Dr. Petach’s publications have appeared in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Banking and Finance, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and Public Choice, among others. Dr. Petach received the 2024 Gordon Tullock Prize from the journal Public Choice and was granted the 2023 Geoffrey J.D. Hewings Award by the North American Regional Science Council. Dr. Petach regularly offers courses in Intermediate Macroeconomics, History of Economic Thought, and Capitalism and Religion. In his free time, Dr. Petach enjoys reading fiction, watching movies at the Belcourt with his wife Josie, and rooting for the Portland Trail Blazers. Dr. Petach is actively searching for the world’s best BBQ.
- Ph.D. – Colorado State University, Economics
- M.A. – Colorado State University, Economics
- B.A. – George Fox University, Philosophy, Economics
- Associate Professor of Economics, Belmont University
- Assistant Professor of Economics, Belmont University
- Instructor of Economics, Colorado State University
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Colorado State University
- Research Assistant, Regional
- Petach, L. 2024. “Monopsony in the Market for Religion.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 221: 423-435.
- Petach, L. 2024. “The Timber Wars: The Endangered Species Act, the Northwest Forest Plan, and the Political Economy of Timber Management in the Pacific Northwest.” Public Choice, 198: 209-226.
- Petach, L., and Powell, A. 2023. “Religion and Economic Growth: Evidence from U.S. Counties.” Review of Regional Studies, 53(2): 192-210.
- Petach, L., and Tavani, D. 2022. “Aggregate Demand Externalities, Income Distribution, and Effective Demand.” Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 60: 433-446.
- 2024 Gordon Tullock Prize – Public Choice
- 2023 Geoffrey J.D. Hewings Award – North American Regional Science Council
- Belmont University Scholarship Award Finalist (2023, 2024)
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