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Patrick Leon Mason
AEA 2025 - Patrick Mason 01.jpg
Born
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 is a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst.

Early Life and Education

Patrick Leon Mason was born in Tallahassee, Florida. He grew up in Sebring, Florida. From a very young age, around four years old, he started working in agriculture. He helped with farm work.

He later attended St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. He received a special scholarship called the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). This scholarship helps students from migrant worker families.

While studying economics at the University of Michigan, he noticed something important. Workers who were part of unions in Michigan had better working conditions. This was different from his own experiences. He felt that the usual economic ideas did not fully explain what he saw. He earned his PhD from The New School in New York City.

Career as an Economist

Today, Professor Mason teaches economics at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He is also connected 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.

Professor Mason's research looks at important topics. He studies how different groups of people are treated in the job market. He also researches how economic fairness can pass from parents to children. His work often focuses on how identity affects economic life.

He has held important leadership roles. He was the chairman of the Board of Directors for Partners for Dignity & Rights. He also served as president of the National Economic Association. Currently, he is a board member of the Fair Foods Standards Council. This group works to ensure fair treatment for farmworkers.

Key Research Areas

Professor Mason's work helps us understand how economic systems affect people. He explores how things like race and identity play a role in jobs and income. His research helps explain why some groups face more challenges than others.

Selected Publications

  • Mason, Patrick L. "Economics of structural racism: stratification economics and US labor markets."
  • Darity, William A., and Patrick L. Mason. "Evidence on discrimination in employment: Codes of color, codes of gender."
  • Darity Jr, William A., Patrick L. Mason, and James B. Stewart. "The economics of identity: the origin and persistence of racial identity norms."
  • Mason, Patrick L. "Annual income, hourly wages, and identity among Mexican‐Americans and other Latinos."
  • Close, Billy R., and Patrick L. Mason. "Searching for efficient enforcement: Officer characteristics and racially biased policing."
  • Mason, Patrick L. "Race, culture, and skill: Interracial wage differences among African Americans, Latinos, and whites."
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