Former County Judge Ed Emmett to Teach ECON 280
ECON 280 , Transportation , Infrastructure and Logistics , is a course that will be taught in the Spring 2022 semester by Ed Emmett (’ 71 ), who is a Fellow in Energy and Transportation Policy at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and a Rice Professor in the Practice ; he is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Northeastern University ’ s Global Resilience Institute . Ed was Harris County Judge from 2007-2019 , and served as a Texas state representative from 1979 to 1987 where he chaired the Committee on Energy and was a member of the Transportation Committee . He was appointed in 1989 by President George H . W . Bush to the Interstate Commerce Commission where he served for three years . Ed has been recognized internationally for his work in transportation and logistics and was named Transportation Person of the Year by Transportation Clubs International . He currently chairs the Texas Freight Advisory Committee . Ed earned his B . A . in Economics from Rice and was a president of Lovett College – not to mention that he was a walk-on member of the tennis team , and he and George Zodrow , current ECON department chair , were the left and right ends on a Lovett football team that won the intramural championship .
ECON 280 focuses on the fact that the health of an economy depends critically on the efficient flow of goods and products — a point clearly illustrated by the supply chain problems that are currently plaguing the US and world economies . The course will analyze the economic impacts of transportation , infrastructure and logistics from a policy perspective . Topics covered will include technological change , regulation versus deregulation , the impact of globalization , and the roles of government and agencies at various levels . Readings will include specific case studies as well as three books that provide a broad overview of the importance of transportation policy .
The class will meet in the spring on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:15 pm . It is open to majors and non-majors , has a prerequisite of ECON 100 or ECON 200 , and provides three hours of university credit but does not count toward the ECON or MTEC majors .
A Blast from the Past : The Economics Department , 2006
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