Patrick Mason (economist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick Leon Mason
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| Institution | Florida State University |
| Alma mater | The New School (PhD) University of Michigan St. Edward's University (BA), 1979 |
| Information at IDEAS / RePEc | |
Patrick Leon Mason is an American economist. He teaches economics at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. An economist studies how people and societies make choices about money and resources.
Early Life and Learning
Patrick Mason was born in Tallahassee, Florida. He grew up in Sebring, Florida. From the age of four, he worked as a farm laborer. This is a type of manual labor, meaning work done with hands.
He went to St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. He received a special scholarship called the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). This program helps students from migrant farm working families.
Later, he studied economics at the University of Michigan. He noticed that farm workers in Michigan had better conditions. This was because they were part of unions. Unions are groups that protect workers' rights. He felt that the usual economic ideas did not explain what he saw. He earned his PhD degree from The New School in New York City.
His Career
Today, Patrick Mason is a professor of economics. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He also works with the Political Economy Research Institute there.
Before this, he taught at several other universities. These included Florida State University and the University of California, Riverside.
His research focuses on important topics. He studies differences between races in law enforcement. He also looks at how wealth and opportunities pass from parents to children. This is called intergenerational mobility. He also studies the economics of identity. This explores how a person's identity affects their economic life.
Patrick Mason has held important leadership roles. He was chairman of the Board of Directors for Partners for Dignity & Rights. He also served as president of the National Economic Association. He is currently on the board of the Fair Foods Standards Council.
